Short End Of The Stick
by PrincipessaBel
Summary: "GIVE THAT BACK, YOU BASTARD!" She threatened, her frown deepening as she grew irritated by Nico's game. "NOOOO!" Nico jeered. Julia smirked, cracking her knuckles walking towards Nico with an aura Leo had never seen before. "You better give that back because I can seriously screw you up." "Holy Hera, Yessa. That sounded so wrong in so many levels." Sequel to Should've Said No!
1. Prologue

**PROCEED WITH CAUTION:**

Those who haven't read **_Should've Said No!_** I advise you to go to my profile and read it before this. But then again, we all have freedom of choice. Who am I to dictate what you like to do?

_But be warned, this story is strongly connected to the first one, and you will not know the essence of this sequel if you do not know the first part._

_The PJO and HOO series is not mine and is rightfully owned by Rick Riordan. Only the plot line, and the inserted characters are mine._

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

**_Let me start with the beginning of my end. . ._**

**I'm running as fast as my short legs could.**

**I forgot to pack up the Happy meal I've ordered.**

**My heartbeat rate picked up pace ever since that thing roared in my neighborhood.**

**I could see the sharp claws and terrifying tail of that mythological creature that seemed to came life just now.**

**And I picked the wrong decision in trusting my childhood crush and stupid cousin.**

**But yeah, I pretty much sucked in the decision-making part.**

**Meet me, Julia Valdez, and this is my story in which I'd die.**

* * *

**Chapter 1 SNEAK-PEEK : Blueberries Solve Anything (Julia)**

The sun was setting at this point of the day. Juniella Montenegro-Valdez wasn't too excited in the fact that she is going home. Most students would like that. . .

. . . but she isn't part of that 'most'

See, she lives alone in her own house in Crystal Subdivision, Manila, Philippines. Her needs all provided from her mother's legacy before dying. Apart from total privacy Julia is having, she's left with no siblings to take care of, having her focus on her studies.

Problem is, her studies isn't just academics. It's all about physical strength. Yes, she had been 'accidentally' enrolled in a martial arts, all girls school. The prestigious Romeo Sansone Martial Arts School for Girls.

She hated the fact that all of her classmates are well prepared for battle so she couldn't really pick fights. And the fact that Juniella was proclaimed as the schools' "queen" for winning a lot of tournaments even at her age of sixteen.

"Hey, Julia!" A voice said behind her. It was her friend, Duncan. He was a tall blonde guy around eighteen years old and he's Julia's only friend in the world. (Aside from her childhood crush that was so years ago.) "I brought blueberries today! Bake these! Bake these!" Duncan told her as he thrusted the basket of blueberries at Julia's hands, whining like a kid who wants ice cream.

"What. . . Blue tarts again?" She asked, with edginess in her tone. Her fiery brown eyes were focused on her friend. Julia was never the socialite. She was the kind of person who was distant. Her reason of it was debatable, though.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

A little teaser for all of ye who are fans of _**Should've Said No!** _

As promised, I shall post the _real_ first chapter of this sequel in **February 9.**

I think I've had enough hiatus break from writing my PJO story.

Review in what you think about our new main!


	2. 1: Blueberries Solve Anything

**Short End of the Stick**  
By **PrincipessaBel**

**Chapter 1 : Blueberries Solve Anything**_ (Julia)_

* * *

**The sun was setting at this point of the day. **Juniella Montenegro-Valdez wasn't too excited in the fact that she is going home. Most students would like that. . .

. . . but she isn't part of that 'most'

See, she lives alone in her own house in Crystal Subdivision, Manila, Philippines. Her needs all provided from her mother's legacy before dying. Apart from total privacy Julia is having, she's left with no siblings to take care of, having her focus on her studies.

Problem is, her studies isn't just academics. It's all about physical strength. Yes, she had been 'accidentally' enrolled in a martial arts, all girls school. The prestigious Romeo Sansone Martial Arts School for Girls.

She hated the fact that all of her classmates are well prepared for battle so she couldn't really pick fights. And the fact that Juniella was proclaimed as the schools' "queen" for winning a lot of tournaments even at her age of sixteen.

"Hey, Julia!" A voice said behind her. It was her friend, Duncan. He was a tall blonde guy around eighteen years old and he's Julia's only friend in the world. (Aside from her childhood crush that was so years ago.) "I brought blueberries today! Bake these! Bake these!" Duncan told her as he thrusted the basket of blueberries at Julia's hands, whining like a kid who wants ice cream.

"What. . . Blue tarts again?" She asked, with edginess in her tone. Her fiery brown eyes were focused on her friend. Julia was never the socialite. She was the kind of person who was distant. Her reason of it was debatable, though.

"Uh-huh! Then let's train after." He said, eyes sparkling.

Julia considered this and agreed, "Alright, but buy me some baking soda in _Aling Ronna's sari-sari _store first. I forgot to add it to my cart last week." She said, getting the basket from Duncan and reaching on her skirt pocket for the money. The girl gave it to him and he ran to the store like a lost puppy.

She sighed as she fished her keys from her bag. Her house was too big for her, seeing that she's the only one living in it. It was good that Duncan always hangs around but Julia prefer to spend her days alone, in her gym.

By the time she had entered, she locked the door, knowing that Duncan can just ring the doorbell. Julia put down her bag in the chair in the kitchen and prepared the ingredients in the counter. "Flour. . . Sugar. . ." The girl one by one picked out the ingredients when a successive knock on her door was heard.

Her brownish-black hair flowed up and her head quickly whipped to the sound. Glaring, she stomped to the front door. Julia opened the door with such force that it nearly slammed to the wall. "_Ano ba- Duncan-_ (T: What the- Duncan-)" She blurted out Tagalog words out of annoyance but her voice faltered, seeing a bunch of strangers outside her porch. Six people in total, if she's not mistaken.

"O-Oh! We're so sorry, miss." A black haired girl in a Victorian era dress apologized, nudging a curly haired boy with an impish face that Julia knew so well. _What the heck?_ Julia cussed in her mind seeing her cousin, _Leo Valdez_ in her doorstep.

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" She glared at him, grabbing his collar. The others gasped at her actions but she'd care less.

"W-Whoa! E-Ella? Geez- You scared me!" Leo tried to smile at her, sadness was in his eyes. She saw it but she didn't budge. His friends tried to tell her to stop. She don't want any of this reunion. She don't want to see anyone from her_ extended family_ ever again.

"Don't call me like that, understand? Now, why are you here?" The girl ordered the son of Hephaestus who was trying to loosen her grip on his clothes.

"Your father told us to find you!" He said, panicked.

With that, she let go and stared at him like he was a lunatic. . . but he was. Her father was dead. She never knew him and her mother told her he died in a car crash just before she was born. "Imposible." Juniella muttered.

"It's true! Ella, he told me to give this to you. You're supposed to help us! Please, for Atha." He looked at her with desperation as he gave her a scroll. _Who writes in these things these days? This had to be a prank,_ she thought, _yeah, he's getting back at me for the things I've done._

"Come inside and we'll discuss this." She opened the door widely, noticing the glances her neighbors are giving her. Julia glared at them then closed the door once the teens had stepped inside. "The living room is this way." She said, walking grumpily towards the room opposite to the kitchen.

"Uh-" Leo started to say as their group was heading on the living room "Ell-" -She glared at him-" I mean, Julia, where's auntie?" He asked in a manner where Julia stopped on her tracks and looked at him in a deadly stare.

"What did you say?"

"U-Uhm. . N-nothing!" He gulped.

As the six people made their selves comfortable, Julia observed them one by one in the doorframe. Leo, he was the same impish Hispanic looking person since she last saw him. Minus the height difference and some more curly hair.

The one beside him was a girl with uneven brown hair. Julia could've sworn she saw the girl's eyes changed color. _Impossible_. She thought. _This is all impossible._

Sitting beside the girl with changing eyes was a guy a bit taller than her. If Julia's eyes don't deceive her, he had a small scar just by his upper lip. She didn't find him appealing nor handsome but had the feeling that he seemed to be the star in the group.

Across those three, there was the girl in the dress with black wavy hair and sea-green eyes as if saying she's born from the sea. _Che. Lens_. Julia thought sarcastically in her mind.

Then there was this guy who got Julia's attention, he was blonde and had those same blue eyes that had stared at her the night before. Shaking the thought, she moved on in staring at the last person.

A person, who have a mess of long black hair, dark eyes with eyebags and the smell of incense that Julia would never forget, was sitting at her living room.

Nearly losing her cool, Julia was never been happy that Duncan is going at her place. That moment, she heard the doorbell rang and hearing her friend's cries for being let in. "I'm going to get that. You guys. . . Whoever you all are. . . Be nice and. . . I dunno, you tell them Leo." She said awkwardly, trying to excuse herself.

* * *

"Let me get this straight, Julia." Duncan said, unbelieving. "You let in a bunch of strangers just because you're bored?"

The girl nodded, a phone in her ear, waiting for the delivery line of McDonalds to pick up. "My cousin is there, mother would not like it if I slam the door on his face."

Duncan let out an exasperated sigh as he banged his head on the counter, his blonde hair slightly flowed because of the wind. "Excuses! How are we gonna-"

"Shush. Hello? Is this McDonalds?" Julia inquired. "Yeah. I'd like to order seven Chicken McDo, all drinks are coke. Uh-huh. Oh, and two happy meals. Yeah, still Chicken McDo." Julia paused for a bit, seeing her friend waved at her frantically, mouthing the words: _blueberry sundae_. The girl sighed and rolled her eyes, "And a blueberry sundae."

"I love you!" Duncan whispered to her, smiling like a kid, "Your treat, right?"

"Yeah, Julia Valdez, number 13 Amethyst Street, Crystal Subdivision, Manila. Bring change for one thousand pesos. Okay. Twenty minutes? Alright." Julia put down the phone and looked at Duncan with her fiery eyes, as if wanting to burn right through him. "You owe me a lot, Dunc. Be ready to pay when I ask for it."

He widened his eyes in mock surprise, "I thought I'm paying you by pretending to be your boyfriend-"

The girl glared at him hard, making Duncan shut his lips. "You'll pay me by bringing juice, tea or whatever. . ." Julia hesitated in her choice of words but said it nonetheless, ". . _to my guests_."

"What?! No way, you do it, I'll wait for the sundaaaae~"

Julia sighed in annoyance then prepared a quick drink for Leo's friends and decided to bring them in herself, only to hear them talking in a different language. She stopped on her tracks when she heard them talking about her. Funny how she seemed to translate and process everything in her head.

"You really think she's a daughter of Ares?" Nico asked them with slight hesitation and uncertainty. _Ares. The god of war? How can he be my father if he's a Greek god, and myth?_ Julia thought angrily, for they were disrespecting her father's death. Julia was sure she never felt _godly_ her whole life. And she was sure her mother wouldn't lie at her.

Leo shrugged, "I don't know but it will be very weird. Knowing my mom and her mom are sisters, then my dad and her dad are brothers." Julia wasn't too sure of what to think of that, knowing Leo's father left Esperanza even before her cousin was born - that is, from Tia Callida's stories.

The girl in the dress talked, saying, "Well, she has Lord Ares' eyes. From her glare at you before, Leo, that is."

"So." Julia barged in, giving them a shocked reaction, her now-cold gaze lands on them one by one, as if scrutinizing them in her mind - in which she _is_ doing at that moment. She slammed the tray with ice tea in each tall glasses. "I can't help but hear your conversation, why do you guys think you all know my father, when he is _dead?_"

"Is that what auntie said to you?" Leo asked. "Can we talk to-"

"No, you can't." Julia cut off his sentence rudely, making the blonde guy with the scar stand up and face her.

"What is it with you, where you always treat Leo rudely?"

Julia's eyebrows raised, in a manner of mocking him. She stood six inches lower than him but she was not intimidated by his electric blue eyes. "What is it with you, where you raise your tone in the owner of the house you're in?" She spat his statement back at him. They glared at each other, his electric ones against her fiery ones.

Now, the girl with the kaleidoscope eyes stood up, "Please, guys stop?" She said with great persuasive skills. Jason retreated, seating on his seat, pouting like a child. However, Julia remained rooted from her place, now glaring at the girl.

"No one tells me what to do on my house." Julia said, unnerving the girl and everyone in the room. Duncan was lucky he remained in the kitchen, or he'll face all the wrath himself, even if he wasn't the cause of her anger.

"Yup. She is a daughter of Ares." The guy in Julia's dreams clapped happily, not helping in the situation.

"Can we talk to auntie-" Leo asked once again, earning another glare from her cousin. "This is_ really _important, Ella." He pleaded.

"You cannot." She took a deep breath shakily and said, "She died, years ago."

"Hey, Juls, your delivery is heeeere!" Duncan said from the hallway, in which Julia quickly went to. She didn't know she had left Leo and the rest in deep mystery.

"Thanks, Dunc." In which she didn't really said in a tone of gratefulness. "Here." Julia said to the delivery man, giving him her payment. Closing the door, she brought the food to her guests(glaring piercingly at the blonde guy she had argued with), giving them their food one by one, except for Nico.

Once Leo and his friends have their share, Leo spoke up. "Why do you have two happy meals?" He said but immediately regretted it. Julia's gaze softened for unknown reasons and she give it to Nico.

"I know how to repay debts." She said, smiling for the first time that day. "Hello, Nics."

Nico's eyes widened in surprise, "Y-You remember me? Oh my gods, Yessa. You don't have to-"

_ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAR!_

Duncan, eating away his blueberry sundae, looked around as if he heard the sound. "Uhm. What's that?"

Julia frowned upon this. Everyone of them seemed to have heard it, too. "I hope it's not what I think it is." Leo said in a really _confident_ manner. _Cue sarcasm._

"Yessa, grab your pack. Quick, we're getting outta here. They've tracked us." Nico said in haste, ushering Julia towards the stairs. The other six was also alerted, leaving Duncan and Julia in the shadows. Leo and the blonde douche (Julia refers to him as that, now.) went outside her house into who-knows-where.

"WHO?" Julia asked in mid-panic. "Who's they? THE MOGADORIANS?" She said in a bit of a sarcastic tone despite the tension. She was resisting Nico's attempt to send her to her room and get her stuff. The girl could have sworn that what they heard are chimeras. _Since when did her cousin was of alien-ish blood? _

"WHAT?" Duncan screamed in Julia's hypothesis.

Nico shook his head. "Yessa, this is not _I am Number Four_. We're demigods. That, my friend, is a chimera!"

"Oh crap. What, you think I'm gonna listen to-" She was cut off by Nico as soon as she tried to start the debate.

"Please, you've known me do. . . _things_. And this is a part of it." Julia felt a shiver ran down her spine as he stared at her intently with his chocolate-colored eyes. "Ever wondered why you never see me anywhere except in the cemetery? Because I never lived here!"

"Well, fuck it. I'll be right back." She stomped upstairs, practically grumbling about what a hassle and how impossible this was and things Nico thought are Tagalog swear words.

"Uhm. Blueberries anyone? They solve everything!" Duncan said, a bit calm now, finishing off his sundae.

**Nico had the weirdest urge to stop himself from punching Julia's friend when he really deserve it.**

* * *

**Chapter Two : Big Girls Don't Cry **_(Nico)_

Julia glared at him, "Don't count me with that _'we're'_. I prefer to be human. Pure mundane. No half mortal, half something."


	3. 2: Big Girls Don't Cry

**Short End of the Stick**  
By **PrincipessaBel**

**Chapter 2 : Big Girls Don't Cry **_(Nico)_

* * *

**Julia's house was as comfortable as the dark shadows**, in Nico's opinion - that is. "I'm packed. Where to now?" Julia said to Nico a few minutes after he had sent her up. She had a camo-colored backpack slung from her right shoulder as she held a black violin case and a golden flute in her left hand. Leo and Jason are still tracking where the chimera's direction was from and Sammi, Will and Piper was alerted while Julia's friend, Duncan, was chillin' around - trying to flirt with the girls.

He nodded to her and said, "To the Argo II, parked just around the church."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "_You're car or van or whatever is parked _just around_ the church?!_ That's miles away!" The girl exclaimed.

"Well, not around. . ." The son of Hades said in uncertainty, "more like above-"

He was cut off as soon as Leo, a son of Hephaestus, shouted to them in panic, "GUYS, LET'S GO, I SEE THE CHIMERA RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!"

Jason ushered all of them to the doors, "QUICK!"

"AH, FREAK." Julia cussed as she nearly tripped because of the things she had brought with her. "DUNCAN, DON'T JUST RELAX THERE AND HELP ME WITH MY VIOLIN!" Nico could've sworn that her violin would be shattered if she didn't stop throwing it to the air with a certain type of person, namely Duncan.

His shook his head quickly and passed it back to the girl. "No way-"

Nico suddenly realized that they're here for a quest, not vacation. "Wait- You're going with that-?!" He asked, unbelieving.

"What?" She said in a defensive tone. Nico sighed, Julia frowned."You said I bring my stuff." He got it from her hold in a force she didn't expected, "AH! NICS, DON'T YOU DARE- GIVE THAT-" She tried to grab the case but Nico was quick.

He shook his head to her, "We don't need anything musical in this escape, Yessa."

Julia's face turned red from anger and crossed her arms, "THEN I'M NOT GOING." She said with a 'hmph'

"Guys- We better go. . I'm hearing it already." Sammi said, now a bit panicked.

Nico sighed again, this time, in exasperation from the stubborn girl. _I can't believe this._ He thought. "Yessa-"

"NO."

He grumbled in agitation then gave up, "ALRIGHT, FINE! Let's go-" He held her hand and tugged her outside.

Duncan suddenly complained, now catching up that they'd be going to go to the church at such an early evening. "But it's going to be dark outside and-"

Nico explained the fact that it was going to be better in the dark. "It's good that it's getting dark, by that, we could go unnoticed-"

Jason cut Nico's explanation, his brows knitted in a frown, "WHAT ARE YOU ALL STILL DOING HERE? GET OUT, QUICK!"

Piper shouted, "LET'S GO!"

"Bring Ella in the Argo. Me, Will and Jason will buy you guys some time." Leo said to Nico, him getting ready to fight the monster with his hammer and fire ability.

Unknown to Leo, Julia was now fuming from the nickname. "IT'S NOT ELLA." She shouted. "MY NAME IS ALDRYESSA JUNIELLA VALDEZ, AND I'D PREFER JULIA IF YOU DON'T WANNA DIE, YOU IDIOT. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I SAID THAT, MIDGET?"

Leo laughed despite the tension outside Julia's house. Everyone was silent from her outrage - even Duncan, Nico observed. He could literally see a thought bubble above Julia, full of curse words. "I'm not midget anymore, couz. Look." He stood up near her then measured the height difference.

"Fuck you." Julia said with a glare and a very rude hand gesture towards Leo's direction. Nico shook his head in Julia's blunt language. _She never changed._

* * *

Running towards the church, which was far far away from her house, Julia tapped Nico's shoulder. "So. Being this 'demi-something' sucked, don't it?" Nico raised an eyebrow to her, clearing stating that he was confused with this sudden question. "I mean, running away from that thing." She continued. "Which is so realistic if you're all pranking me-"

Nico said, "Yessa, believe me, it had been worse."

"Suit yourself." She shrugged.

"Guys, why don't we slow down a bit." Sammi, daughter of Poseidon, suggested as she panted.

Piper nodded and said, "Sure."

They all stopped and Nico could see Julia's house from where he was standing. Nico realized that they had ran up the steep slope that goes straight to the church. Julia's house is a big _mansion-like_ building that could've fitted the whole Hermes cabin.

Piper walked a bit father and measured how far they'd have to run. Sammi sat down the pavement, catching her breath. Julia seemed to be alright even though she was still bringing her backpack with her.

"HEY, JULIA, I JUST NOTICED, YOU DIDN'T BRING THE BLUEBERRIES." Duncan said in a tone where it ticked Nico's nerves.

"You won't be able to make use of it if you're dead," The son of Hades spat in a tone of pure disliking to the guy. "And how did you hear that thing? The mist is supposed to-"

Duncan cut his statement which added up to Nico's gauge of hatred. "What mist? You think I won't see that gigantic chimera right outside Julia's lawn? No way am I gonna miss that awesome thing! It's like we're Loriens-"

Julia glared at him, "Don't count me with that "we're". I prefer to be human. Pure mundane. No half mortal, half something."

"Apparently, you are half-something-" Sammi pointed out but was cut by a sudden shriek of pure terror, courtesy of Julia.

"AM I SEEING SMOKE IN MY HOUSE?"

Piper heard her and saw the same smoke that was coming up from Julia's mansion. "No. Uh- I guess- OH DON'T TELL ME LEO GOT OVER-EXCITED AGAIN-"

"WHAT OVER-EXCITED?!" Julia demanded.

Duncan spoke up once agian. "Are those storm clouds? How is it that it's only above your house Julia? Don't tell me you guys are Loriens in disguise? What's your Loric power, dude?"

Nico glared at the mortal and said, "We aren't people from _I am Number Four_. And I don't have Loric powers."

"He can travel through the darkness. If that's what you meant." Sammi said to Duncan, making Nico cuss out some Italian curse words. " I can control the waters, Piper can charmspeak." She continued.

Nico could swear he saw the guy's eyes spark with excitement. "COOL! Show me, guys! Come on-" He jeered but Julia cut him off.

"SHUT UP, DUNCAN. Tell me, what's exactly happening here, Nics?"

Nico stared intensely at her eyes, formulating the right words that she would understand. "You, Yessa, are a demigod. A daughter of Ares and a legacy of Apollo, meaning that your mom is a demigod, too."

"You're like us, Miss Julia. A half-mortal, half-god." Sammi added.

Julia shook her head, her short hair following the movement. "Impossible. That's crazy as hell-"

"Tartarus." Piper corrected.

Julia rolled her eyes, Nico was sure that since she already showed hatred towards Jason - now, Piper was in the list, too. "Whatever." She said. "But that's not me. I never felt 'godly' so you must've got the wrong Julia Valdez. Heck, I don't even believe in those pagan gods. That's against my beliefs."

He tried to convince her once again, "You can't change who you are. Ever wondered why you're so strong?"

Duncan nodded with the last part, adding, "Yeah. She punch like a kangaroo."

The daughter of Ares glared hard at him, getting ready for a stance that would intimidate any person who'd walk up to them. "YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME, DOUCHE?"

The mortal smirked and said, "COME AT ME, GIRL!"

"Stop. This is a serious situation." Nico said, getting in the middle of the two. He looked at Julia with pleading eyes. "You have to believe in me. Like before."

* * *

_Nico found himself in an eerie cemetery, the sun halfway from going down the horizon. It was his third time in trying to shadow travel to a certain place but he ended up lost again, just like what happened in China. He heard a sobbing and decided to check it out. The son of Hades saw a girl with brown-ish black hair hugging a grave. He also saw a spirit, patting the girl's back._

_He felt the urge to comfort the girl and he did. "Hey. Why are you crying?"_

_"Isn't it obvious? It's because mama died, you idiot!" The girl said, looking at his with angry red eyes, tears streaming on both cheeks. _

_"Oh." He said._

_The girl looked away. "You probably have your family whole. A mama, a papa. A sister probably." Nico felt his heart pinched with the word. Bianca died a few months ago. And he still haven't forgiven Percy Jackson for his mistake. "Go away!" The girl ordered._

_"I-I don't have a sister." He managed to choke out_

_"Well. You mama or papa might be looking for you. Leave me be. Mama said crying shows how weak people is. But I can't help it. It hurts to know that I won't see her again. I'm alone."_

_He shook his head, and looked straight at the spirit. He saw a slight resemblance between the ghost, and the girl. "You aren't." He said, nodding at the spirit who have seen him, too._

_"Ha, easy for you to say." She said in a bitter tone._

_Nico smiled at the ghost and it smiled back, he was sure that this was the girl's mother. "Don't worry, I'll be here. Like a brother." His voice said but he wasn't so sure of what he was now saying. It's as if his tongue had a mind of its own._

_"As if. You're a stranger. Mama told me to not talk to strangers."_

_The ghost pointed at Nico and nodded at him. He got the message and told her, "I'm not. She said I could talk to you."_

_"How then?! She's gone! You can't talk to ghosts because it's impossible!" She said, chocking a bit from crying hard._

_"I can talk to them. She said don't cry anymore. She said that she'll always be with you." He said, nodding at the ghost who was smiling at him thankfully as Nico had said the words it cannot say anymore._

_". . ." The girl was silenced. She stopped talking, and sobbing but Nico knew that she is still crying._

_"Believe me. It's fine for you because your mom is always going to be with you. Not like my sister." He said, a bit lonely in the last part. He was hoping that the girl wouldn't be nosy about his own life._

_"Fine. I believe you." She said standing up and wiping her eyes, "I'm Julia but some people call me Yessa. Aldryessa Julia Valdez."_

_"I'm Nico. Nico di Angelo." He said, offering his hand for a handshake._

_She took it then asked, "As in. . . 'Nico the Angel?' Don't tell me God had sent you here for me." Julia said with her eyes widened._

_"_He_ didn't. And I'm not an angel."_

_"Well. I guess from now on, you will be my guardian angel." Julia said in a sad but grateful smile. _Sad but grateful_. Nico thought._

* * *

Remembering it, Julia breathed out, "I believed in you. . ." Then she looked at him with watery eyes, "but you suddenly left me. I wasn't expecting to lose someone close to me again."

He looked away, guilty in what he had done, "Things happened back then. Now's different."

"Then. . . will you leave me again?"

"I- I don't know." He said with uncertainty.

"I don't know what to believe, if that's the case."

"Uhm- enough drama, guys, but I think I heard a boom." Duncan whined.

Julia looked at the direction of her house and saw that it was on a big blaze. "OH, SHIT. MY HOUSE. IS IT REALLY ON FUCKING FIRE? WHAT THE FUCK." Sammi got up from that and was alerted. Piper gasped, talking about how Leo, Jason and Will will survive that explosion. Nico told her that they'd be alright.

After Julia's rage, Duncan tapped her shoulder and said, "Language, my dear."

Nico saw Julia's eyes on fire as she was glaring at Duncan. "SHUT YOUR SHIT UP! MY HOUSE GOT EXPLODED AND YOU EXPECT ME TO SIT HERE AND WATCH MY FUCKING LANGUAGE?"

"Whoa! Are you crying? Julia, are you really crying?" The mortal asked Julia as tears stream down her cheeks.

Nico frowned and rubbed her back, trying to comfort her. "Hey, it's fine. You'll have another home after this."

Julia choked in her words but still talked, "Y-You don't understand. Mr. Tyr gave me that house. He said that mama built it for us to not stay in an old rundown apartment we had lived in before." She paused for a bit, "That's- That's all I've had. EVERYTHING'S THERE EXCEPT FOR THE THINGS I BROUGHT!"

" Aw, come on, big girls don't cry, Juls!" Duncan jeered, not really reading the atmosphere.

"YOU ASSHOLE! I AM GOING TO BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF YOU!" Julia readied a fighting stance then punched and kicked Duncan in the six most common direction a martial artist could attack an opponent.

"ARGH! SHIT NO! JULIA-" Duncan said between the continuous fast hits, "UH. STOP IT! GUYS HELP ME!"

"Miss Julia-" Sammi walked over them but Nico stopped her.

"Leave her be, I did the same when Bianca died. It's a normal reaction."

"Nico- Are you sure?" Piper asked in uncertainty.

Nico shrugged. "It's fine. Besides, the guy deserves it." He said to Piper and Sammi in a hushed voice as **Julia continued to combo attack Duncan.**

* * *

**Chapter Three : Getting to Know 101 **_(Leo)_

"And the bruise is still there. It's as if she's _the _chimera." The son of Apollo joked.


	4. 3: Getting To Know 101

**Short** End of the **Stick**  
By **PrincipessaBel**

**Chapter 3 : Getting to Know 101 (Leo)**

* * *

**Leo wasn't so sure why** the mortal had heard, moreover, had seen the chimera from the early evening's event. Julia's friend, Duncan, had been able to see and hear the said mythical monster. "I don't think this is a smart idea." He said as he fiddled with a piece of paper, folding and unfolding it as quick as his hands could.

The son of Hephaestus was sure that he's really wary of having a mortal in the Argo II. After seeing Julia beat Duncan unconscious, Leo wasn't sure what to think of her cousin as well. Raging at the poor mortal, amidst the horrific situation with the chimera. _Now_ he believes she is a daughter of Ares.

Sammi shrugged her shoulders."Tell Nico." She said with her siren-like voice. Her concern for most of the people in their gang melted away his heart. He remembered how Atha was nice and feisty at the same time.

Sitting beside Jason, Piper nodded at the daughter of Poseidon. "He have an issue with the guy Duncan. Letting your crazy cousin beat him."

Everyone in the dining room was discussing their next plan, now that they have Julia - who had locked herself up in her given room, grumbling about how she's going to kill that chimera because of blowing up her house.

Nico gave him a 'hmph' then said. "The douche deserves it. Julia needs as much as help as Atha does." Nico said with much concern for his friend.

Jason shook his head violently, "I don't think she does. Atha is nice and she's. . " He paused, thinking of the right term. ". . You know, violent. No offense, Leo."

Leo held up his hand, paused from making origami, and said, "None taken. She really is already like that ever since we're kids. . . but she's more of a lion than me right now."

"Probably because of her mom's death." Nico said.

"And with you leaving her?" Sammi added, making Nico blush red. Leo raised an eyebrow to this. _So, he likes Julia? Dang, this kid is doomed._ He thought jokingly in his mind but didn't dare say it out loud.

Piper leaned in, interested in what made Nico blush. "What happened then, Nico? You didn't really told us who she is."

The said son of Hades hesitated and, for the first time, had lost his cool. "I don't think that's a good idea-"

Sammi prodded on. "C'mon Nico, you said Miss Julia needs our help, how can we help her when we don't know her background?"

Jason nodded casually. "Sammi's got a point."

Will, who was just listening in the conversation, joined in. "I didn't really knew that she kicks like a sledgehammer. I wouldn't have carried her over my shoulders." He laughed by himself, being the ray of sunshine he is. "And the bruise is still there. It's as if she's _the _chimera." The son of Apollo joked.

The daughter of Poseidon shook her head, her black hair swaying along with the movement like waves. "Shut up, Will, that's not nice."

Nico sighed after weighing the pros and cons. Leo continued to make different shapes as he listened to Nico's tale. "Alright. It was before the second titan war. The time before Percy went to Daedalus' Labyrinth. I was practicing how to shadow travel, father's orders, and ended up in a cemetery here in the Philippines. I met her there, crying. Remembering how-" He sobbed, Leo felt sympathy towards Nico. It was hard on him not having his sister as Leo not having his mother.

Nico regained his composure a bit and continued. "How Bianca died, I comforted her and we became friends. I guess it's because I was really wanting to have a friend who is like me. . ."

Will thought for a second, putting in the pieces of Nico's story, "But because of the war, you left?"

"Yes and no. I've been very exhausted during the war. . . and confused." Nico said the last part with hesitation.

"Of what?" Piper inquired.

Nico shook his head, "I really shouldn't bring this up- Anyway, after that, I had no contact with her. Not until now."

Piper's eyes sparkled in mischief, Leo should know, he's the girl's _other_ best friend."That sounds like a tragic love story of destiny."

Leo snickered at Piper's remark and added, "Having Piper put it, don't you think you like my cousin? I see how you look at her."

Nico gasped, stuttering. "N-No way. Yessa's like a family to me."

Leo made a face, "See? _He_ gets to use the embarrassing nickname rather than her _own cousin_."

Will, who looked confused from the nickname, asked."Why Yessa? Isn't her name Julia Valdez? Where'd that come from?"

"Aldryessa Juniella Montenegro-Valdez. Weird name, too Aphrodite-like for a daughter of war." Leo said in disgust in which Nico glared at him.

Piper raised an eyebrow, "I'm right here, Leo."

"Sorry, beauty queen." He grinned impishly.

There was suddenly an uncomfortable silence. Jason decided to change topic and shatter the awkward glass. "So, how'd you know that she's the one Nico?"

Nico's eyebrows raised, then answered. "I got dreams of her even before Ana was kidnapped-"

"I mean, how do you know she's the one for you." Jason cut the son of Hades' statement. Nico blushed red, everyone laughing hard, "HAHAHA, just kidding!" The blonde son of Jupiter said, Leo was sure that this is why Jason is his bestfriend. Serious, but still easy-going at times.

Nico grumbled something in Italian that none of them understood. He continued his story about the dream, silencing the group. "It's as if Yessa's warning me not to go some place where something important might get lost. At that time, it was the start of your first row. I didn't know that Yessa was warning me not to go to the Underworld with Ana. I'm so sorry, Leo"

Leo shrugged and sighed. It was no use in blaming Nico again.

Silence once enveloped them. In Leo's observation, Sammi didn't got the chance to meet Athanasia but here she is, cursed to help them after going back to life. He sighed. It was all his fault, if only he hadn't been all jealous, then he'd be chillin' with the most beautiful goddess that matched his hotness, and she's not even trying to be hot.

This time, instead of Jason breaking the ice, Piper spoke up, "What time is it guys?"

"Eight-thirty in Philippine time. Why?" Sammi said to him.

"Can we now eat dinner? From all the action earlier, I feel so tired and hungry." The daughter of Aphrodite said with a yawn. Everyone of them is tired, Leo must admit.

"I'm on with Piper this time! I need something healthy to remove this bruise on my stomach." Will said, rubbing his flat stomach.

Nico stood up from his seat, "I'll talk to Yessa and ask her to join us. We're going to be here until we find any more clues to get to Ana."

Will jeered, "AND THAT MEANS MORE SLEDGEHAMMERS~"

* * *

Leo cleared his throat, a bit nervous and wary in Julia's presence. He'd seen clearly what she had done to the mortal. Nico was forced to bring Duncan back to his house, taken care of. They were all currently sitting around the mahogany table in the Argo II's dining room. "Alright, now that we're all here. Safe. . .and- well, somehow 'safe'. And we have a new member, Julia." He gestured to his cousin - who was glaring at them all, arms crossed infront of her chest.

She was seated next to Nico, who was seated next to Sammi. Piper was in between Jason and Leo as Will was seated next to Julia, completing the circle. The daughter of Ares remained silent, making Leo more nervous than ever.

He gulped, this isn't even a real task but Leo knew he was seriously screwed if he said something wrong. Picking the right words slowly, he said, "Uhm- Want to introduce yourself to us?"

". . ." Still, Julia was just staring at him.

"Ok-aaay. So, can we at least know your full name?" Leo said, eyebrows up, hands perspiring from being unnerved by his own cousin.

To everyone's surprise, Julia spoke, her calm voice was deadly cold, "Aldryessa Juniella Montenegro hyphen Valdez." [Pron: Al-DREE-yeh-sa JUN-yeh-li-ya]

_A little specification. She's freakishly picky. _Leo thought in sarcasm, but not daring to say it out loud. He continued to press on. "Nickname?"

"Julia."

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Birthdate?"

"February 20." In this, Nico's head perked up from his glance at the floor. He looked surprise but Leo didn't ask why. So, he continued interrogating Julia while she's willing to answer.

"School?"

"Romeo Sansone's Martial Art School for Girls."

"So you're good in fighting?" Leo blurted out in curiosity..

"Wanna try me?" She smirked, her eyes sparkled. Leo could've sworn her cousin is just a sadistic lunatic.

"No-" He said quickly, then changed the subject. "So, what's your talent?"

"I play instruments."

"Can we hear?"

"No." She said simply. "You wanna see my other talent?

"Uhm-" He looked at Sammi uncertainly, who was intently listening to every word Julia was saying, then said, "What is it?"

"To beat the crap out of you when you don't shut up."

"N-No thanks. So, enough about you, I guess?" Leo shrugged, then shouted, "ALRIGHT! SAMMI, HIT IT!"

Sammi looked surprised in being picked next to introduce herself but smiled at Julia. Her red lips curved up, looking like a mermaid with her red and white dress and naturally sea-green colored eyes."Hi, Miss Julia, I'm Sammi Sawada-Johnson. A daughter of Poseidon, god of the seas, earthquake and stuff.

"I'm biologically seventeen years old but I'm really around two hundred years old if you don't count my years dead in the Fields of Asphodel." Julia's eyebrows furrowed as the girl mentioned terms she didn't know. _We need to get her properly oriented_, Leo thought."I'm half-Japanese and half-god, having myself to be a demigod like you. Will?"

As Sammi sat down, as Will stood up, smiling like an idiot. "Hi Julia! I'm Will. Will Solace." His cheeriness added glow to the current "awkward" aura being emitted in the room, sponsored by Julia's presence.

"Remember me? Yeah, the one you kicked earlier." He laughed sheepishly, knowing that a girl did that, "The bruise is still here, and even a healer like myself can't do anything. So. . ." Will looked at Leo for the simple guideline in what to say to Julia. The son of Hephaestus mouthed the word: _age_. "What? Oh yeah, I'm seventeen years old and counting. . Hopefully. Can I be honest with you?"

"What?" Julia asked in her demandingly cold voice.

"Please be nice to everyone else? Because we really really want to be friends with you. And you're so beautiful!" He said, making Julia blush for a second, if Leo wasn't mistaken in the looks of his cousin.

Piper chuckled darkly, "I see a budding romance." She said, teasing Will.

He flushed red, "Shut it, Piper! Is it wrong to appreciate the beauty of a legacy of Apollo?"

The Cherokee girl nodded, "So. . . you're hitting on your niece?"

"PIIIPEEEER!" He whined, not liking the topic of this current situation and knowing well that Sammi, Leo and Jason were laughing hard.

She laughed, too, "Alright alright, I'm Piper Mclean. Daughter of Aphrodite, sixteen years old."

Leo piped in, "She's the daughter of Tristan Mclean." He said to Julia in a manner of great admiration to the guy.

Julia tilted her head to the side, poker-faced. "Is he someone I'm supposed to know?" Nico sighed beside of her, rolling his eyes. Clearly, there's something about Julia's statement that Nico didn't liked. The son of Hades didn't say anything though.

Leo was shell-shocked with her answer and struggled in picking the right words. "Well-"

Jason cut him from the embarrassment as he spoke up, introducing himself. Faking a smile, he said, "I'm Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, Piper's boyfriend. Sixteen."

"I didn't ask." Julia said, not interested.

Jason looked offended from her statement. "I wasn't talking to you." He said as a matter-of-factly that made Julia grin in a way where the temperature in the room drop down to zero.

"Now you are." She said victoriously.

Leo could sense that his bestfriend was holding back his electric powers, trying to stop himself from possibly zapping Julia unconscious. "What's wrong with you?" He angrily said.

"Nothing is." Julia shrugged. "_I am who I am_. Don't bother."

Nico tapped her shoulder, then stood up."I'm Nico. Nico di Angelo, son of Hades-"

"WHAT?" Julia reacted, spooked in this revelation. Her face paled, eyes as big as saucers.

"Son of Hades-"

"Seriously? Nics, you're son of the dev-"

Nico cut Julia's statement, "No- That would be really offensive. Father isn't really the devil. More like, king of the underworld, like, the afterlife? Technically, not the devil."

"Oh." She said, clearly unbelieving. Realizing that everyone was staring at her weirdly, she faked a surprised tone. "OH! I like technicalities! But these proclaimed myths aren't just my type."

Leo knew that Jason couldn't stop himself from commenting, because of anger and ADHD. "So, Nico get's the special treatment."

Julia 'hmph'ed and looked away from Jason with great dislike. "Well, you're the one who wasn't there for me when I needed a friend, aren't you?"

Piper and Sammi sighed in exasperation.

Will said, annoyed, "Can you guys not argue?"

"He/She started it." Both said in unison, pointing accusedly of each other.

"Jinx." Jason said automatically as Julia reacted late. She grumbled something under her breath that made Nico click his tongue on his friend's reaction.

The gang didn't heard it well but Julia then said one word that cracked up the group: "_You."_

Leo knows that she didn't knew it was kind of a tradition to say the word 'jinx' when you say a word or phrase together with someone.

**Clearly, Julia thought Jason cursed so she shot it back at him, trying to be as offensive as she can without knowing that the lot were laughing at her lack of knowledge about their culture.**

* * *

**Chapter Four : Night's Shade (Julia)**

She smiled at him comfortingly, "I won't tell, of course. Because I know we can be like before, once again." He looked at her intensely in a way Julia's stomach was filled with butterflies.


	5. 4: Night's Shade

**Short End of the Stick**  
By **PrincipessaBel**

**Chapter 4 : Night's Shade (Julia)**

* * *

**The sky is blanketed** by the dark blue hue of the night. The wind is howling loudly in Julia's slightly-pointed ears. From the mast of Leo's ship, she could see the lights from below the Rizal provinces. Staring the wonderful little lights, she held on to the thick wood to support herself. The gang were inside the dining room, still discussing on how to tell her she's not wanted in the crew in the most polite way.

Instead of caring about it, sad thoughts about the past and her future came and went through her mind. _Would Nico be still the same? Why did her mother lied to her? Will she be alright with them? How can she live with no files?_

Unknown to her, tears had streamed down her pale cold cheeks. It's been a while since she'd cried. Julia cursed herself for being over-reactive in problems like these. She reminded herself that she had faced worse. . . but even that felt fake.

_This is a different battle._ Julia thought. _I'm going to die if I'm stupid enough._

"Hi." A male voice called to her, despite the heavy wind, she heard it clearly.

Nearly losing her balance, Julia held onto the mast as she managed to quickly wipe away her tears and looked up at the black haired boy with a genuine smile. "O-Oh, hi, Nics."

He sat down beside her, also taking in the picturesque scenery."Beautiful night, isn't it?" Nico's voice was cool and calm, Julia relaxed instantly by the presence of her close friend.

She nodded and said, "Yeah, but I'd prefer seeing the sun rise."

Nico smiled, "Typical. So, happy to meet everyone?" He asked in a teasing tone.

Clutching at her school jacket to warm herself against the cold gale, she clicked her tongue in annoyance and knitted her brows into a frown of dismay. "Tch. Don't remind me." The son of Hades tried to stop a laugh but it escaped off him anyway, adding up to Julia's annoyance. "Why the hell are you laughing?!"

After a minute of laughing hysterically, Nico suddenly stopped and looked at Julia happily. "I missed you."

Blushing unintentionally at Nico's words, Julia decided to laugh it off sarcastically. "Hah hah hah. Thank you for answering my question, my guardian angel." Then she smirked. "Or should I say, _my guardian fresh from hell_."

Nico groaned, getting her reference. "Don't tell me. . ."

The daughter of Ares clapped her hands and smiled sarcastically, she said, "So. Now that you guys are clearly lunatics-"

Nico cut her as soon as she said the word 'lunatics', "They thought you're the lunatic here-"

"Shut up! But seriously, this isn't real. None of this is real." The dark haired girl announced, clearly being close-minded even though the evidences are seen.

The ravenette raised an eyebrow, smiling a teasing grin, "If none of this is real, how can you explain this ship? The chimera?"

Julia shrugged, thinking of an excuse. "I don't know but I could swear to my life that I've never tried using drugs so I couldn't be hallucinating or something-"

"If I kissed you would you believe that this is real?" Nico challenged, leaning close to Julia's face.

The girl could swear that the temperature heated. Hoping that she wasn't blushing, she said, "Try me, mister."

Nico closely leaned in to her, staring at her brown eyes. Julia caught up with the challenge and stared back at him. Aside from blushing, she definitely was itching to punch Nico in the face for teasing at such a personal ground. Inches from her face, the girl gulped, moving away from her friend. "O-O-OOOkay. Stop, Nics. I surrender, now." She said, swallowing her pride.

Nico didn't stopped though. He kept inching his face towards Julia who was seriously freaking out. "Gah! I didn't know you're_ lusting_ over me- STOOOOP! I believe you now! Oh my god, STOP IT!" She screamed, pushing Nico roughly away from her.

He laughed, "Really?"

Rolling her eyes, Julia answered, "Gosh, yes, I believe you."

"Doesn't sound like it." The son of Hades said, Julia glared at him and punched him in the shoulder.

"Okay, truth is. . ." She inhaled, then exhaled the mix of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air, "I believe this shit. . . Just not the part where my dad's what you claim he is. It's surreal. They aren't supposed to be real. There's only one _God_. And He's going to clearly burn me in hell if you keep insisting that my dad is one."

"All demigods go straight to the Elysium, good or bad." Nico informed her in a matter-of-factly tone. SHe leaned her head in his shoulder, making herself comfortable in the cold.

"Damn you, I told you I'm not believing that part with myths. I just believe that you guys are supernatural. And that that monster burnt down my fucking house." She said bitterly.

"Oh, Yessa." Nico sighed, "How will you ever live with this if you're not believing what you are?"

"I'll go somewhere far off." Julia said carelessly. Staring at the skies, she wondered if the stars ever get lonely by theirselves.

"Alone?" Nico askwed in sheer curiosity. He glanced at her softly as she looked far.

Staring back at Nico, Julia smiled, "Would you like to accompany me then?"

"Sure." The boy nodded, "If you're happily to follow my orders, like throwing the garbage and doing laundry and-"

The daughter of Ares snorted, "No way am I gonna be your maid. . . But to be honest, when we were kids? I used to imagine that instead of being your little sister, I'd be a maiden in distress and you'd be my Prince Charming." Nico couldn't help but laugh at her, "DON'T LAUGH AT ME! THAT WAS YEARS AGO WHEN I BELIEVED THAT MERMAIDS DO EXIST!" Julia exclaimed defensively.

"Oh, but they do." Nico teased, stating a fact as if it's just fiction.

Julia's senses stopped working at that point. She didn't expect herself to react that way on Nico's joke. _Does this mean I like him? _She asked herself. _NO. Never am I gonna be those Pradabees at school._

With her silence, Nico continued on his little fun - not completely knowing that the daughter of Ares was likely having a system meltdown. "Does that mean you still-"

"NO!"

"Are you denying?"

"NO!"

"You aaaare!" Nico said, hugging Julia, his hands made its way to Julia's waist. "Tell me, Yessa, you like me don't you?" He asked in a hushed voice that had sent shivers in her spine.

"Of course I do!" Yessa answered quickly, not thinking about her statement.

Nico was silenced. ". . ." _Damn it,_ Julia cussed in her mind.

She blushed hard, from both anger and embarrassment in her situation. The daughter of Ares gulped and thought of an excuse. "I-I mean, I like you- _Love you_, whatever, because you've been such a nice douche to me!"

"Seriously?"

Julia nodded. "Seriously."

"I do, too." The son of Hades smiled, hugging her tighter.

If Nico wasn't her close friend, she would've punched all the living daylights out of him just because of hugging her. . but Nico was, presumably is, her close friend and it's been a common thing to do between the two of them. "Let's call it quits then."

Silence engulfed them, Julia snuggled closer to Nico. She felt comfortably warm as Nico leaned closer. The girl would never admit it out loud but she always love every time her friend hugs her - up until this very day.

Humming the first tunes of a song, Julia closed her eyes and felt the rhythm and beat. She opened her mouth and the lyrics went out soothingly and emotionally. "_Tiny heart, stuck inside yourself, when will you open up for me_?" She took a look at the black haired son of Hades, who was now staring at her weirdly. "Come on! I know you love that song. Sing it with me. Like the old days." She pushed.

He sighed. Julia knew singing was not one of Nico's forte but he still enjoys it when they took turns in singing out the verses and lines. "Oh, alright. But just this one song. _I love you so, I wanna meet you again, before one of us must go_- OH, so you're making me guilty with this song-"

"No, it's for you and that Percy guy." She smiled then continued, "_Your lips touched every hand but mine. If you choose me, I'm waiting for you._"

Automatically, Nico continued the next line. "_If you choose me, I'm waiting for you. Always waiting._"

Julia closed her eyes once again, feeling the emotion of the song. "_Tiny heart, you're not by yourself. When will you recognize the beat_?"

"_Of my own heart, grieving in your hand - y-you crush me when you run that way_." The son of Hades was doing his best to not sob in the middle of the song but he did anyway.

Julia don't know why but also felt pained by the song. "_Your lips touched every hand but mine. If you choose me, I'm waiting for you. If you choose me, I'm waiting for you. Always waiting. . ._"

"_Y-You will never kn-know what you have done to me. You will never know losing love from me and you will never know a single day. . . alone_. . " At this point of the song, Nico was breaking down. The daughter of Ares squeezed Nico's hands that were resting on her waist. He hugged her tight, burying his head on her shoulder as he cried.

Julia took initiative to finish the song, knowing that this was one of Nico's rare emotional moments. "_Tiny heart, stuck inside yourself, when will you open up? Your lips touched every hand but mine. If you choose me I'm waiting for you. If you choose me I'm waiting for you. Always waiting. . ."_ She guessed the best possible answer on why Nico cried hard on that line. "You still haven't told him?"

He didn't answer for a minute then said, "N-No. . . But Jason knew by accident. Yessa, why?"

Julia chuckled melancholically. "I miss seeing you crying."

"N-Naughty girl. But you won't tell, w-won't you?" Suddenly, Nico's icy hand held hers, surprising Julia a lot.

She smiled at him comfortingly, "I won't tell, of course. Because I know we can be like before, once again." He looked at her intensely in a way Julia's stomach was filled with butterflies.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." He said. She knew so well that 'thank you' wasn't the only thing Nico wanted to say, but she didn't pushed anyway.

Instead, she said, "No. I should thank you, for making me feel I'm being cared for."

Nico shook his head, "You would be cared for by more people if you're not rude."

"I'm not rude. I'm steering them away because. . ." The girl hesitated for a moment. ". . They may leave me hanging mid-air."

Nico's eyes widened. "L-Like what I did. I guess it's all my fault."

Julia was taken aback. She didn't mean to let Nico feel like it's his fault. She knew that she felt so empty right after he did left, but she didn't want him to blame himself. "N-No." She denied. "It's not- I- It's a phobia. Due to trauma-"

He cut her sentence, letting go of her waist, pulling his black locks. "I KNEW IT. I KNEW IT." Nico said as if it was a crime. "TH-THAT IF I LEFT YOU, I-I'D BE RISKING IN DESTROYING ANOTHER LIFE-"

"Y-You didn't destroyed my life, Nics." Julia interjected, reaching for his hand.

"I-I did-"

She glared at him hard, "You didn't and that's final. 'Sides, my life isn't technically destroy. I still have my guardian." Julia decided to tease him again, to make the atmosphere less serious.

"Yessa- Don't-" Nico started.

"Nico, please. Stop it? Okay?" She said, finalizing the slight arguement.

_"Okay._" He agreed.

_"Okay."_

* * *

_"Okay."_

"This is getting annoying." She laughed.

He did too. "I know. So, how about getting some sleep? But I do like spending the evening in the _Night's shade._"

"You're feeling poetic, aren't you? Is that an emo thing?"

Nico flushed red. "I told you, I am not an emo!"

"Just kidding. Night, Nics, love you." She said, standing up in the mast, balancing herself.

"Love you, too, Yessa." Nico stood up, too, and held her hand. "Want to shadow travel down?" She nodded and they shadow traveled.

Julia wasn't too surprised from the weird echoes and darkness. She enjoyed it, to be honest.

They ended up on her assigned room. Nico smiled and hugged her one last time that night. "Stay safe."

She moved back, smiling genuinely at him. "'Course I'd be staying safe, you're my guardian angel, right? _You'll protect me._"

* * *

[GASH. SO FREAKING SWEET. GET A ROOM, GUYS.]

(Let's hope that you, fangirls won't kill me with this!)

* * *

**Chapter Five : Watergirl and Fireboy (Sammi and Leo)**

Piper snorted. She grinned in mocking Julia. "The new girl? Gods, she's annoying."


	6. 5: Watergirl and Fireboy

**Short End of the Stick**  
By **PrincipessaBel**

**Chapter 5 : Watergirl and Fireboy (Sammi and Leo)**

* * *

**Being resurrected from the dead is not an ideal idea to Sammi**. Being on a quest again wasn't an ideal idea either.

The week, she had been really shaken by the fact that she's going back to go to a quest. Another one. Sighing, she thought about happy things. At least I'd be helping other people once again. Her thoughts were jumping from one onto another.

Piper walked by the daughter of Poseidon's room, seeing the girl lost in a train of thoughts. The daughter of Aphrodite decided to knocked. "Hello?"

Sammi was snapped back into reality then smiled Piper.

The Cherokee girl grinned back, "Sammi I've got a question, why did you say you're over two hundred years old earlier at dinner?"

Sammi shrugged. "It's a long story, Piper."

"We've got all night." Piper suggested helpfully, convincing Sammi to spill. "Besides, there's no harm in having a girls' talk, right?"

"I guess. . . but you will never believe me." Sammi said with hesitation.

Piper tried to convince her again, "Psh, try me. I've fought the worse monsters from the myths, you being two hundred years old and still looks young doesn't surprise me." She paused. "Well, maybe a bit. . because you can't be a goddess. You'd be forbidden to join this quest."

"I'm a true-blue demigod, thank you!"

"C'mon. Tell me." Piper said.

Sammi sighed. "Alright. I was a demigod. I know I was to die in the underworld and I did. It was a quest to bring something important for Poseidon."

"Poseidon?"

"I-I-" Sammi stuttered for reply, "Let's say that calling him 'dad' does not feel natural." She said quickly, then continued. "In any way, two of my friends came with me. Murielle and Viktor were to sacrifice their lives for me to bring back the important thing. . . yet the prophecy indicates that _'a daughter of the sea will stay, for the relic - her life will pay_'. So, I had let the fates snip my cord."

"I'm sorry."

Sammi smiled at Piper, "You do not have to. I am back for one reason. To help all of you and to serve once again to my father."

Aphrodite's daughter scratched her head then looked at Sammi, "Geez, I didn't even know your true story. All I know is that you came back from the dead. Then nada."

The daughter of Poseidon shook her head, "They do not have to know. I do not want to be attached once again. It is so hard to see Murielle and Viktor's faces when I am falling down." Sadness flashed from her sea-green eyes, "They are pained because of me." _And I am pained because of them._

Piper couldn't feel more remorseful towards Sammi's situation, she herself had been pained by the loss of Athanasia in camp. "It's normal, Sammi." She had said.

"Samantha."

Taken aback, Piper said, "Huh?"

"My real name is Samantha." Sammi replied with a sad smile on her face.

"Oh." Piper said lamely, then redeemed herself by saying, "Oh, but where'd the nick 'Sammi' came from?"

Sammi shrugged nonchalantly, "Viktor gave the shortened name to me when I had got the news that we were to be married."

"What?!" Piper choked._ She was what years old and already married?!_

"At the early age of fourteen, when my mother had known my friendship with Viktor, mother asked_ his_ mother to arrange a marriage for us." Sammi explained, pained by the throwback of emotions that were going on at her. "It did not came for I have died just months after it." She would've been a happy bride if it did came.

It was Piper's time to sigh at this time. "I'm going to have a talk with my mom."

Clueless, Sammi said, "What?"

"Nothing! Just thinking aloud."

Samantha nodded then changed the topic. "So, how do you find Miss Julia?"

Piper snorted. She grinned in mocking Julia. "The new girl? Gods, she's annoying. You see how she looks at Jason like she's ever had a chance on beating him in a fight? Yeah right. She'd be knocked out in seconds."

Sammi frowned, taking in the things Piper had said. It was true. She, in Sammi's opinion, was really annoying in terms of the 'humility' part of the attitudes. "I do not think it is good to underestimate her. I know you have seen the way she had beaten her friend."

Piper crossed her arms infront of her chest. "She's got moves, I'll give her credit for that. . . but I'd be open-minded. 'Sides, I think these are just first impressions."

Sammi nodded in agreement, "You have to. The first time I met Viktor, he is as annoying as a bee. I learned to like him in the end."

"How do you find the modern world now?"

"It's really. . . surprising. Seeing how mortals had brought up a new age of this 'technology' to everyone's benefit." Then, her eyes sparkled with fascination. "But I am indeed interested in how this ship was made. The control. . no ship I have been got that kind of wheel."

"It's not really a wheel. It's a Wii controler." Piper said.

Sammi raised an eyebrow. "Whee?"

"W-I-I. It's a part of technology." The daughter of Aphrodite elaborated in which confused Sammi more.

"Oh. . ." The ravenette said lamely then yawned.

Piper noticed it and stood up. "Oh, you might be sleepy already. Good night then, I'd be going! Bye, Sammi!" She said, dashing out the door, waving at Sammi.

Sammi waved back, "Good night, Piper."

* * *

**Morning came in a flash.** Everyone was settled in the living room part of the Argo II. Every one, except for Julia and Nico. Will and Jason were talking about visions, if Leo heard them right. Sammi and Piper were giggling and laughing like they've been friends for so long.

Leo greeted cheerily, smiling at Piper and Sammi. "Good morning, chicas! Had a tight sleep last night? Because I've got a feeling that we won't get to have enough sleep when we officially start this."

Suddenly, Nico came barging in the room, holding out a pair of fluffy slippers and was wearing a gold-rimmed glasses.

Julia screamed, coming next to Nico's entrance. "AAAAAHHH NICS! DON'T YOU DAAAAAREE!"

Nico laughed so hard he looked like a normal fifteen year old kid, rather than his usual distant self. He ran across the room, with Julia pursuing after him. "AHAHAH, come and get it!" The son of Hades teased Julia as she tried to grab the slippers.

Leo got a hunch that it was Julia's, considering that she was running after Nico, bare-footed.

"GIVE THAT BACK, YOU BASTARD!" She threatened, her frown deepening as she grew irritated by Nico's game.

"NOOO-"

Nico started to say 'no' but Sammi said with authority. "Nico. Please give that back to Miss Julia?"

With everyone's eyes on Sammi, they didn't expect to see much authority in her voice. Nico's brows knitted and he said, "What-"

Julia agreed to Sammi and nodded at her, acknowledging her help. Leo had never been as surprised as this time - _but seriously?_ He thought, _Ella had that look of respect towards Sammi when she didn't even accepted my best friend?_

Julia smirked, cracking her knuckles walking towards Nico with an aura Leo had never seen before. "Yeah, you better give that back because _I can seriously_ _screw you up_."

Will and Jason laughed at that. The son of Apollo doubled-over, forgetting his bruise. "Oh my gods, JULIA!"

Nico blushed furiously then laughed it off, too. "Holy Hera, Yessa. That sounded_ so_ wrong in so many levels."

"What?" She said, not knowing. Then, she caught up in what she _had_ said. "Oh. You think I'm gonna fuck you up?" Julia sent a seducing smile towards Nico - in which he had shuddered. Leo thought that it was best to stay away from Julia. _She was crazy as Hera, I'll give her credit for that._ "No way, dude," Julia continued, "and I doubt it will seriously be _any good to me_."

"Is that an insult?" Nico glared at her. Leo inwardly laughed, I guess it's good to have Ella around. It's not like every day you get to see Nico embarrassed.

The son of Hephaestus even noticed that Sammi, Piper and Will are finding this amusing. Jason though, was a different matter. He was frowning like crazy!

"Ya think?" Julia challenged.

Leo blurted uncertainly. "Ella, you think talking about that so early in the morning will help people wake up properly?"

"Well. . I think they're enjoying this. Except for Sparky here."

Jason frowned at the nickname and said, "How did you know-?"

"Nics." She shrugged nonchalantly as Nico blushed again.

"Sorry! She forced me to! That woman is a disastrous mess when she likes to." The son of Hades pointed an accusing finger at Julia and she returned it with a rude gesture with her middle finger toward Nico.

"Fuck you too!" She chanted. Leo doubted that if Sammi stayed a bit longer, she'd have her ears bleed.

The son of Hephaestus converted the topic by saying: "Anyway, we're here to really tell you about your purpose here."

"Don't expect me to jump off the ship and fly." Her look was ludicrous, it's as if they were pirates holding her hostage! "No can do, Couz. I'd rather stay here, with my feet on the floor."

Will shook his head. "No, it's because the goddess of Immortality had been kidnapped by someone we don't know."

Julia raised an eyebrow. "Athanasia?"

"H-How-?" Leo stuttered. Now he was confused. Even he don't know there was a goddess of Immortality before meeting the goddess, herself.

Nico went to Julia and plopped down her slippers on the floor, "She saw something last night."

Smacking the back of Nico's head, she said "Well, I wouldn't have seen it if you didn't stayed in my room for the night." She took the glasses of Nico's with great care.

"Wait-" Jason intervened. "HOLD IT. YOU MEANT TO SAY THAT YOU TWO SLEPT TOGETHER?"

"Yeah./ Uh-huh." Were their answers.

"In one bed?" He inquired. At that, Leo didn't know what to think of his cousin.

"Yep." Julia said. Nico took the clue and groaned while muttering Italian words - cue the facepalm.

A huge bubble of silence enveloped them when no one dared to talk or joke about Nico and Julia's _night_. "Awkward." Will finally said.

"A-Anyway-" Leo snapped back in reality, they're talking about his girlfriend, not his cousin's _"S"_ life. "Athanasia contact you? As in, talked to you?"

"No." She shook her head. "I saw her in a cell - a prison cell. She was chained by the hands and was calling for you and Nico."

"What was her state?" Leo asked in concern.

"She looked so filthy and weak. Her hair was messed up so bad it could be like a nest for birds."

Nico shouted. "Yessa!"

"Sorry. But her platinum blonde-"

Leo cut her immediately as she said "platinum blonde"_ Her hair wasn't as pale as that!_ "It's sunshine blonde."

"But it looked like platinum blonde. . Like _Elsa's_." Julia said, referencing about something.

"Elsa? Who's that?" Will asked in sheer curiosity.

"Duh. _Queen of Arendelle?_" She said, like it was a normal subject to each and every one of them. "From the movie Frozen?" No one answered with an "I know her!" or something like that so she decided that 'you guys live on rocks.'

Jason said indignantly, "I'm pretty sure my cabin isn't a rock."

"Yeah./Same." Sammi and Piper said.

"Anyway, do you have any other info about it?" Leo pushed for more. _It can't be just that! It can't be!_

"None. I usually see things or glimpses, like events, in my dreams. . . Then it'd happen later on."

"You're seeing visions." Will declared.

"Visions?"

"She has the talent of _clairvoyance._ It's common of children of Apollo, but rarely on legacies. You, girl, are one lucky demigod." Will smiled at her like she won the lottery.

"So, what's this _shit _about the goddess?" Leo had the urge to say _'this isn't shit about Atha'_ but didn't anyway. "Who even told you that I _am_ one of you?"

"Your _father_, the God of War." Sammi said, emphasizing the word 'father'

"I like that game." Julia nodded at Sammi. Everyone stared at her like she was a madwoman.

"WHAT?" Nico exclaimed.

"You know-? The online game called "The god of War"?" She said to him, eyebrows up. "What? YOU ALL DON'T KNOW?" She exclaimed. "Seriously, answer this, what timeframe did you all come from?"

No one answered her after that. She laughed out loud that everyone felt like they were out of place."REALLY? REALLY? _Oh my gods_! You guys! You have to had more exposure to the modern world!"

Nico's eyes widened. "Did you just say 'oh my gods'?"

Hers, too._ "Holy shit."_

* * *

**[ I am sooooo sorry for having Julia be a foul-mouthed bitch. . . But I feel like making this bitch is a good change of course to my story on a whole new level. **

**Tell me what you think though! A review once in a while gives me inspiration to write this.  
**

**And do you think Nico's so OOC? I have a very good explanation for that, though.**

**But it may take a while for me to reveal the whole secret. ]  
**

_[ PS. Though it is mentioned that Yessa and Nico _slept together_, it didn't mean that she and Nico did the _'s' word,_ in which Leo thought that they did. Childhood friends be like childhood friend. You guys know how it is. ]  
_

* * *

**Chapter 6 : Mutual Feelings in the Argo II (Julia)**

"I never liked you, Hot-head." Jason spat at her with pure disliking.

The daughter of Ares huffed out a puff of air, "The feeling is mutual, Sparky."


	7. 6: Mutual Feelings In The Argo II

**Short End of the Stick**  
**By PrincipessaBel**

**Chapter 6 : Mutual Feelings in the Argo II (Julia)**

* * *

**It was a hot afternoon**. Most of the others have their own things to do but Julia felt like lazing around. Nico had asked her to train with him on the newly installed training room - courtesy of Leo and his siblings.

"It's too sticky. . . and sweaty. . . and shitty. . ." She complained - now resulting to her current position in the couch.

"I should've went with Nico. URGHHHH." Julia groaned in annoyance. Everyone had their own things to accompany them away from boredom and she had been left with nothing to do.

Asking Leo to make an oven was one thing. Refusing Nico for training was another thing. _I really suck in decision-making._ She thought. Inwardly, the brunette groaned again. "Stupid. . . Stupid Valdez."

"What did you say?" Jason's voice made her stood up. She glared at the blonde who did the same.

"What is it to you?" Her voice cut sharply at the silence around them. Julia's piercing glare didn't unnerve Jason but his gaze held the same intensity as hers.

"It's because you're bad-mouthing Leo!" The son of Jupiter exclaimed. He towered over her, but Julia remained unmoving.

"I don't care." She looked away, now glaring at the floor.

"I never liked you, Hot-head." Jason spat at her with pure disliking.

The daughter of Ares huffed out a puff of air, "The feeling is mutual, Sparky." Silenced enveloped them for a few seconds then Julia felt her lips twitch, curving upward to form a smirk. "Bet you don't have guts to play basketball against me."

"Try me, shortie." Jason grinned to himself as he saw Julia's hands formed a fist and her knuckles were as pale as Nico's skin color - completely giving away that she's pissed off by the smart-ass retort. ". . . but you do know that we're on a ship, right?"

"Tch." She clicked her tongue. "With my cousin and Nics? I've learned that nothing is impossible. . . And you losing over me is nothing to be afraid of - not unless I'm you. Which would never happen." Julia faked a shudder, earning a hard glare from Jason.

She smiled painfully sweet and sarcastic for Jason's eyes. The girl skipped away, towards the engine room.

* * *

"So. Let me get this straight. After kicking me in the stomach, you want me to play for you?" Will asked jokingly to Julia, who was busy adjusting and re-adjusting her red wristband. He was wearing his comfy red and black jersey short while wearing a tee shirt - un-tucked, a sign that he's on Julia's team.

She glared in response. "Three-on-three." The daughter of Ares said simply, hand on her hip. "I wouldn't want my cousin to be on my team, knowing that he'll be totally useless." Julia wore a large black sleeveless jersey - a black sports bra underneath it ; a red cycling shorts and her Nike sports shoes.

Nico groaned, he face-palmed and said, "Remind me why I became friends with a sadist like you?" He was wearing a black sando shirt and short.

"Don't be like that, I know you love me." She said, slinging her arm on Nico's shoulder and forced him to lower himself on her level - then ruffled his hair.

"ARGH! Stop it, YESSA!"

"Make me!"

"Ehem." Will intruded, feeling awkward that the two are currently '_flirting_' shamelessly in front of him. "But how'd you even managed to have a simple basketball court-"

"Half-court." Julia corrected.

"-inside the Argo?"

"Leo has hidden magic when pressured. I do it all the time back in Houston." She said with sparkles in her eyes. Nico felt a sudden chill run down his spine as her face looked so happy and contented on what she had done to her poor poor cousin.

* * *

_Striding confidently to the engine room, Julia looked for signs of Leo. She walked past the steaming pumps and tangled wires until she saw a mess of curly brownish-black hair - same as hers. "Hey, Leo." She greeted, surprising Leo. He looked at her with confusion. "Make a basketball court in here." _

_Taken aback, Leo said, "What? But I'm just finishing-"_

_"No buts." Julia glared at him, "Make me one, now."_

_"W-Where?" He stuttered - normally, Leo would refuse right away but Julia asked him for a _basketball court_. He heard from Nico that aside from mixed martial arts, Julia was waaaaay too attached towards basketball. _

_"In the stables?" She suggested with a shrug. "Or somewhere. . . I'm fine with a half-court."_

_"What if I don't do it?" Leo asked, knowing he's moving towards dangerous grounds._

_"Ooh you will." The daughter of Ares' lips tugged up into a playful smirk. "Because I'd be watching you."_

_With that, Leo shouted, "WHAT? NO- NO NEED! I'd do it! Just go away!"_

_She chuckled evilly, knowing she had won. "I'll be needing it in three hours. Think you can do it?"_

_"Th-three-?" He gulped. "Y-YES ma'am!"_

* * *

Will shuddered, "Scary."

"Shut up. So, now, we win." Julia said with her back straight, chin up, over-all having that aura of overflowing confidence

"What if they're good?" Will asked in doubt.

"Come on. Have faith." Julia said nonchalantly, "Nico's got some moves. I've seen him do it firsthand."

"Geez. That was years ago!" Nico replied, also in doubt.

"You play basketball?" Will asked in disbelief.

"Westover Hall is a military school - technically, still a school."

"In playing, what's your forte?" Julia asked Will, her brows raised up.

"Defense and shooting." He answered truthfully.

Julia zoned off for a few seconds, her hand on her chin, then said, "I've got a strategy here, Will." She looked up at the two boys. "Now, listen, Nics, you do your thing, I do mine. Will, screen them." Both nodded, having to understand that she's not bossing around, she's directing them for a sure win. "And a friendly reminder, always be alert. Never let your guard down. I'd like to show that Grace that he'd chosen the wrong move to not back out in a game like this." Her head cocked to the other side, sending a glare at the not-knowing son of Jupiter.

"Sometimes, ." Nico stated, "I really ask myself why have I become friends with you."

"Shut up, Nics." She answered, playfully punching his shoulders.

"Alright! I'll do my best since it's been a week since I've played basketball!" Will said cheerily.

"It'd be a good training, too. You know, teamwork?" Nico said, having the other two nod.

"That's our key to win. I may be such a bitch-" Julia started but got cut off by Will

"She admits- OUCH, sorry!" The son of Apollo cringed in pain after blurting out the words and having punched by Julia in the process.

"As I was saying, I may be a bitch, but I know when I'd be friendly to my teammates." She smiled a little too sweetly at Will, who was looking away from her, pouting.

If Nico wasn't mistaken, he'd seen Will blush by Julia's smile_. Does he like her?_ He asked himself. _What do I care if he does? She's just a friend._ Nico pushed that into his mind - frowning in why he was so affected by that simple blush.

Snapping his thoughts, Sammi had walked over to them, saying to Julia, "They're ready, Miss-" Julia cut her off by saying : "Julia. Call me Julia."

Taken aback, Sammi nodded and stuttered. "O-Oh. Well! They're ready for the game. Leo had told me the rules and I think I'm also ready to be the referee here."

Julia nodded at the daughter of Poseidon then stared at Nico and Will, "We'll win. I promise that. Our game, as you know it is against Sparky, Leo and little miss Beauty Queen, this is gonna be sooooo easy!" She said, rubbing her palms in excitement, sparkles can be seen from her eyes.

Nico patted her shoulder, "Chill, girl, you'll gonna explode if you don't stop that."

* * *

Sammi wasn't wearing her usual dresses - if she was, I'd be a terrible time to wear it, in Julia's opinion. The daughter of Poseidon wore jeans and a simple blue tee shirt, Julia guessed it was from Piper.

"First towards ten points, wins!"

Facing the other team, Julia smirked at Jason. "Do your worst, Sparky."

"Same goes to you." He replied with venom.

Will and Jason stepped forward for the first steal and the deciding point on who gets the ball. Sammi had produced a whistle and blew it, then threw the ball upwards. It was amazingly high but the two boys jumped up, having Jason snatch it quicker than Will.

"Shit." Julia muttered, running towards Piper to screen her.

"Leo!" The son of Jupiter shouted as he passed the ball to the fire user. Nico tried to steal it fast but Piper slipped thru Julia's block and screened the son of Hades.

Leo, as amateur as he was, caught it and dribbled the ball towards the hoop. With no one guarding it, having Will on a man-on-man defense towards Jason, and Piper on defense against Nico, the son of Hephaestus jumped to do a hoop shot.

Unknown to him, Julia came in fast and slapped the ball out of his hands.

"Crap. How-?" Leo was shocked, he completely forgot about Julia!

The ball bounced down the ground and Nico slipped through Piper, having to catch the ball and shot an alley-oop.

"Two points, JNW!" Sammi announced. _[Team Julia, Nico, Will]_

"Nice shot!" Will said to Nico. Julia smiled at him, eyes determined to crush their opponents.

Piper took hold of the ball and dribbled it away from the hoop, Julia screened her, "Not so fast." The daughter of Ares said.

"Two points isn't that big." Piper said, also determined in winning.

"Zero points isn't that big either." Julia replied, mocking the girl.

Piper kept dribbling, not knowing where to go because of Julia's strong defense. The daughter of Aphrodite did a bluff move towards the right but did a 360 degrees run towards the left quickly and successfully slipped away from Julia, but whilst dribbling the ball, it got away from her rhythm when she realized that the brunette did a back tip and Will had caught the ball in time, having to shoot from the three point lane.

"Five points, JNW!" Sammi shouted again as the ball flawlessly went down the hoop.

Nico caught the ball as it fell down from Will's shot but Leo managed to steal it from him, the son of Hephaestus passed it towards Jason who was blocking Julia. "Jason!" Leo shouted to alert his teammate.

Julia did a quick move and tried to slap the ball towards Will's direction but Jason caught it on time. "Don't think too highly of yourself. You haven't shot once since the game started." Jason said, reading the pride in Julia's eyes as her group is currently on the lead.

"Oh, I will shoot. Watch." And with that, she was gone with the ball.

"How did you-?!"

Running towards the hoop, Julia dribbled the ball constantly_. I'll show him who's good at this!_ She thought. Piper ran after her, in attempt to block her shot. Julia jumped high to do a scoop shot. She thought: two points, then another one of Will's threes!

The whole court hold its breath as Julia's attempt seemed to be on slow motion. Nico jeered, "Go, Yessa!"

The ball flew in the air and hit the ring, having it bounce away the hoop.

"What in Tartarus?! She missed?" Leo blurted out instantly.

Nico and Will both have their jaws hit the floor.

In embarrassment, Julia's face turned red but her eyes were fiery. "Time out!" She said, panting - not in loss of breath but because of anger.

"Why didn't you tell us you're not good in shooting?!" Nico raged at her, practically blowing up her eardrums.

"Hey, I say I do my business and you do yours. Not my fault that Sparky, over there, intimidated me and pressured me to shoot." She pouted in indignation, looking away from Nico.

"How do you pass so quick like that, though? I don't understand." Will frowned at Julia, confused in how she managed to steal the ball so fast.

"I've got a friend who taught me some moves." Julia shrugged nonchalantly. "Besides, as long as I use _my friend's_ tactics by misdirecting their focus, I can easily steal the ball from their hands."

"Why didn't you shoot the ball at such a close range then?" Will asked. "You could've dunked-"

"Doing a scoop shot is _way cooler_ than a dunk."

"What? _You're showing off_?!"

Julia huffed out a puff of air, "Not the point. My point is, if Will shoots in two three points, we'll win in a jiffy."

"Time out's over!" Sammi said to all of them, making Jason's team stand, staring at Julia.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Nico declared.

"We will win, don't worry."

The game started in having the ball on Jason's side. Leo had the ball but Julia didn't get the chance to steal it from him, having Jason on a tight defense. "Fuck." She whispered to herself.

"Three points, PJL."_ [Team Piper, Jason, Leo]_

Julia growled. They're not letting me go, knowing I pass accurately. She thought.

"Well, you use your brain too, eh?" She decided to resort to her best friend, distraction due to intimidation.

"Oh, I use it. . You just don't notice due to- AH!"

Julia smirked at herself for successfully running away from Jason's block. Leo was about to shoot a three point when she jumped up to block it. "Got'cha." She said victoriously.

Leo quickly pulled back down and moved a bit, shooting the three points.

"Six points, PJL!"

"Sorry, couz." Leo said, smiling.

_"Damn it." She muttered darkly to herself then laughed. "The game's just starting."_

* * *

_**[Who's Julia's friend, though? Clue: He's a good basketball player]**_

* * *

**Chapter 7 : Leo's Most Embarrassing Moments**

**Julia smirked, "Leo have a lot of moments in his life. I've been like a tape-recorder, always seeing those."**


	8. 6 Point 5: It's April Fools' Day?

**Short End Of The Stick**  
**PricipessaBel**  
**Chapter 6.5 : It's April Fools' Day?!**

* * *

**Today had been an exhausting day.** You guys probably had thought of this update as a follow-up of the last chapter. Apparently, it's not. _The author had pranked you[Peace, my love!]._ Hopefully, you'd continue reading this even if it's not an update.

In a small apartment house, just a mile away from Julia Valdez' burnt ex-house, there was a simple girl who reads a lot and writes stories a lot. The girl was infront of her computer, tweeting nonsense stuff at her twitter, seeing notifications from her facebook account. An aura of laziness is pretty much the reason why she's not that productive in normal simple days. Heat is very much irritating at this point since the dusk came.

This black haired girl, crampedly seated crossed-legged in a computer chair, smiled as she wrote this down.

"**Happy April Fools' Day!"**

She had typed in. Obviously, this is PrincipessaBel – a Fanfiction pen name. It had been a debate in her mind if she is to submit this current document as an April Fools' Prank.

"'_Ya think they'll like it?"_ The ravenette asked herself internally. To her, talking to herself makes her think more mature than just acting it out. She sighed, thinking. _"If I submit it, some will be alerted then check out on it instantly. If I don't. . . They'll think I'd ditched the story."_

Pouting her slightly chubby cheeks, she looked intensely, with her dark brown eyes, at the monitor screen. She continued writing, _"Better to have an update than nothing at all, I say!"_ Cue the sarcastic evil laugh of sadism in her mind.

* * *

_To my royal subjects: _

_If you are still reading, I congratulate you! You are to know that this story will be continued shortly after this. A day or two from now? I am deeply sorry for not updating these past weeks. Things at school always come up unexpectedly. Heed my warning; it had been a real exhausting month for me. I know those who are reading this is genuinely in need for Julia's next step towards demigodhood. . . but you guys would probably understand that I really can't afford to lose my grades that I need for college. _

_As a third year high school student [in some countries, third year middle school: am I right?], I am to be responsible in our group works and projects. Theater plays! The horror of memorizing! I really hope I had been put in the props-making department. Caterings! We catered for our teachers as a project for home economics. I was a server/waitress, so smile here, smile there. I was really hoping my clumsiness wouldn't come in me at that moment of holding plates and trays of cocktails. Video Tutorials! As I was editing the film, my laptop crashed so hard I want to smash it into pieces. I didn't though, because my files for this story are all there. No back-ups. Yeah, smart me. But school had drained a lot of energy and inspiration and sanity over me so I decided to not write yet. When I'm low on inspiration, I tend to write crap stories and descriptions. _

_I had started the introduction and I restarted the story outline so I think everything will be fine after these practices for our recognition. Yes, my unexpected hiatus paid off and with two medals[one was for being a Star reader, hehe, the fandoms also paid me well!] _

_So guys, I promise I will make these next chapters with all my heart and with all my might!_

* * *

Cracking her knuckles, the girl smiled at herself_. "Let's hope communities in Fanfiction won't let me take this off. It's April Fools' Day anyway!"_ She said to herself as she uploaded the file and updated the chapter.

If you had read this, I totally did pushed the idea of this April Fools' Day thing.

**HAPPY APRIL FOOLS' DAY MY ROYAL READERS! AND AS ALWAYS, LOVELOTS**

**FROM PRINCIPESSABEL**


	9. 7: Leo's Most Embarrassing Moments

**Short End of the Stick**  
**By PrincipessaBel**

**Chapter 7 : Leo's Most Embarrassing Moment (Julia)**

* * *

**Finally getting over the tub was like heaven**. Julia despised this day. The girl have many days in which she hated, She didn't know it was even possible but April One will surely be marked in her calendar.

The brunette closed her eyes as she felt her arm and leg muscles relax by the hot tranquility of the water – even her mind relaxed quickly. They're a rowdy crowd, she now know of it but she'll see much more of it in the next days. . . or who knows how long.

* * *

_Julia had seriously been in a foul mood ever since they lost that afternoon. "We lost to those newbies! How the hell did that happen?!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as she stood tall in the top of the ship's mast along with her team mate and ever-supportive of some sort, Nico._

_"I think I'm going deaf, Yessa. Volume down, please?" Nico said, his hands covering his precious ears as if Julia's voice really is going to deafen him. "They're just downstairs. They could hear you."_

_The daughter of Ares snorted, "Better."_

_Nico rolled his eyes at her. "You'll never change will you?"_

_"You want me to change?"_

_The son of Hades shrugged. Julia stared at him, her eyes lingering on his intense gaze. "It would depend if it's change for the good. . . or for the bad. . ."_

_"Nah. Scrap the change, I think I want McDonalds' for dinner." She smiled at Nico, lightening the aura. The ravennette sat down beside her friend and held his hand. "No changing 'til forever, okay? I like this thing going on us right now. . . I mean, us being back to friends . I didn't realize that I've been so lonely these past years."_

_"Five-ever. And that's a promise."_

_"Awwww" Julia jeered, and she attacked Nico with a big hug. "I love yooou~"_

_"Sometimes, Yessa, you really surprise me." He replied with the same action._

* * *

After the heavenly shower, she went out her room because of boredom. "It's so boring here." Julia whined as she sat in the living quarters where a big pane of glass surrounds them and all she can see below is a vast wide ocean. _It's the Pacific_, Leo told her before disappearing to the engine room.

"Let's play Three Questions!" Piper said, suddenly attentive. The daughter of Aphrodite had been in the living quarters, along with everyone else except Leo.

Sammi frowned, "What?" She asked, her sea-green eyes curious.

"You know. . ." Piper shrugged, seemingly to have regretted to suggest it. Julia noticed that the girl's action suddenly became stiff as she continued to explain. "You ask a person a question, up to three times only – whether personal or just for fun- then he or she answers it truthfully."

There's an eerie bubble of silence in the room – no one dared to say anything. As if something's happened in the past because of this. "It's also a way to know you and Julia." Piper added quickly.

"I am alright with that." Sammi nodded slowly – the daughter of Ares did not know whether on agreement or in hesitation. "It is going to be fun, knowing that you all will have to answer, too."

"Oooh!" Will raised his hand like a child, wanting to vanish the awkwardness. Julia gazed at him in mild amusement. "I wanna join! Are you playing too, Julia?"

Julia opened her mouth and answered, "Nope-"

But the brunette was cut short by Nico, who was grinning. "I'll represent her on her behalf then." She stared at him with pure confusion but realized that he had a hidden agenda for why.

"Wha- No! I changed my mind, I'm going to play." The girl said, firm and full of resolution to not have Nico spill out her deepest darkest secrets.

"You guys aren't playing this like the Truth or Dare again, are you?" Jason questioned but Piper rolled her eyes at him. Will's smile had been shut off by this but Julia didn't dare to ask why. "Because last time I checked, things went totally berserk last time you guys played it-"

Piper huffed out a puff of air. "Three Questions is different from truth and Dare."

Jason shook his head and changed the topic quickly. "Leo seems to be busy, I'm pretty sure he'll like us not to bother him."

Sammi asked, "Will he like us do this group activity without him?"

The son of Jupiter said with a noncommittal shrug. "Pretty much won't care at all."

"Okay then, let's start with you Sammi." Piper said, sitting in the wooden floor of the ship. The others followed but Julia decided to sit cross-legged on the sofa with Nico sitting on the floor just infront of her. "Ask someone in this room."

"Hmmm. . ." The daughter of Poseidon tapped her chin and then looked at Julia. "Since you and Leo are the only ones who are full cousins here and have lived and known each other for a tad long, how is he as your cousin?"

"He's alright—Weird even." Julia shrugged, crossing her arms then looked away slowly from the others' gaze. Her pause seemed to have everyone in the room draw in their breaths. "Nah, what am I talking about, fooling myself." She said, putting up both hands in the air, her face equipped with her usual crocodile grin. "He's as annoying as heck.

When we were five, I was in our small apartment in Houston, near theirs, playing my violin – not the one I brought here. He ran up to our house screaming bloody murder. At first, I didn't know why, mom opened the door for him and he's a big mess of dirt, askew curly hair and wearing only his underwear."

There were snorts and stifled laughter from Will, Nico, Sammi and Piper. Julia laughed and all hell broke loose. Nico doubled-over and was murmuring "I would give anything just to see that."

Even Jason tried hard not to laugh but said, "Impossible, Leo's never told us about that before!"

"Well, would you tell Piper your most embarrassing moment as a child?" Julia challenged, "Psh, no—Not even Nico knows what's mine!" She said, triumphantly looking at Nico. The son of Hades raised his eyebrow in this but said nothing.

Julia smirked, "Leo have a lot of moments in his life. I've been like a tape-recorder, always seeing those, always recording in my mind. And believe me this, he ran away towards us because Tia Esperanza was out of town for a bit and Tia Callida came in to babysit him. That woman's crazy-"

The son of Jupiter warned Julia, "She's the queen of the gods, Juno—I mean, Hera."

"Hnn-" Julia got the message from Jason's tone that she's not one to be disrespected but she could care less. "But still, she's nuts. Mom scolded me one time for trying to hold a kitchen knife because of her persuasion. Do I ask next?"

Piper nodded at her.

"So, Will- Who's this Apollo guy? Nico said he's your dad. And Leo had told me he's my grandpa. How exactly does that happen? Aside from the immortal stuff and all. . ." Julia asked, brows furrowed.

"My dad, Apollo, as you know, is the Sun god. He's got power over healing, music, poetry and archery-"

Will was cut off by Jason, who said: "—And showing off!"

The others tried hard to stifle a laugh again.

"Ha Ha Ha. Very funny, Jason." Will shook his head at Jason sarcastically. "But anyway, my father well explained to me that we're not technically related since your mother is a demigod of the Roman god Apollo."

"Uuhhh. . ." Julia stared at him, dumbfounded. "What?"

He sighed, "He's the same Sun god but with different personality and different aspect."

"O-O-Okay?" The daughter of Ares said, playing Will's explanation in her head once again to try and digest it.

"We'll help you with that later Julia. I'll find a pen and paper then we'll try to write something you'll understand." Nico said to her with gentle eyes.

"Sure." She nodded.

"My turn!" Will said happily. "So Nico, do you like Julia?" The blonde son of Apollo said, a tone of teasing in his voice.

Piper smiled at him approvingly, "I think I remembered that question!" Julia thinks Piper said she remembers this is it must be because Nico's probably always being swarmed over by hot girls over where they live. She shook the idea away from her mind – the thought of it quickly made her blood boil. For what reason exactly? She didn't even know why.

Jason frowned. "Yeah, nearly the same question in which why we came here for."

"So, your answer? Do you or do you not like her?" Will said, trying his best to wriggle his brows in a teasing manner.

Julia didn't notice but Nico's face was already beet red. "Well no-! I MEAN, _YEAH_. She's my best friend and all. What'd you expect me to answer?" He said, trying to keep a steady and calm voice.

". . .That you love her?" Will suggested. At this point in time, even the daughter of Ares was blushing. The son of Apollo wasn't suggesting the same love that was in between Julia and Nico. He was suggesting that Nico might love her more than friends.

"Ooohh!" Sammi and Piper jeered, also teasing them.

Jason shook his head. Julia stared at the son of Jupiter who was just sitting near them. "Guys, quit him some slack- He's been the whole day with Julia, who knows what she did to him—OUCH! Hey, that hurts, woman!" Grace winced as Julia had punched him in the shoulder.

"Don't you dare tease my baby~" She threatened, joining along their tease to Nico.

Laughter echoed the halls of the Argo II as they continued to have fun – admittedly, even Julia was having fun with them.

The game went on and on but as time passed by Julia felt something wrong. Her stomach began twisting and turning as if they were knots inside her body. Julia could barely sit straight and her vision had blurred. _What's happening_, she asked herself in fear.

Her ears began ringing so loud she swore her eardrums could explode at any second now. Looking frantically at her surrounding, it seems to her that they noticed her – fighting to keep her consciousness.

_You are emotionally weak, dear child. How can you save my daughter at that despicable state? _A voice in her mind said, the voice she recognized to be Tia Callida herself. . . Then another voice entered her brain. It was muffled and sounded like "U-riah".

Then, Julia realized that this was Nico's voice, shouting her name.

She tried to keep awake but unconsciousness is creeping up in her veins, blacking out her senses. . ._ She really hates this day._

* * *

**Chapter 8 : First of the Three**

"**So. . . You want me and Will to choreograph a sing-and-dance portion to entertain this creepy dude who I don't know and who might be a pedo?" The muses nodded at her, a little reproachful on Julia's choice of words. "Great. Just Great."**

* * *

**A/N:**

**So sorry for three weeks of unexpected hiatus! I am back! So I hope you liked the update! **

**Let me know what you all think! Lovelots, PB**


	10. 8: First of the Three

**Short End of the Stick**  
**By PrincipessaBel**

**Chapter 8 : First of the Three (Julia)**

* * *

**Dedicated to TheFlamingOwl**

Check out her story _Missing_, it's her first one so be nice. ;)

* * *

**Darkness filled her vision but Julia could swear she's down, lying in the floor**. Am I blind? She thought weakly - her head throbbing in pain. "Urrghh. . ." She groaned in pain. Hey eyes trained in the dark floor, or so she thinks.

"Stand up, dear girl." A voice she never heard spoke to her. The voice, lyrical and melodious even without the music.

Another voice spoke. "We are deeply sorry for the unexpected _transition_."

The daughter of Ares tried to look up, painfully twisting her stiffed neck to the source. "Sorry-?" Her eyes still blurred, she can manage to distinguish the figures. Both are wearing a mass of curtains in their bodies. "Wha-a-at?" Julia said, her mouth felt like she'd tasted liquid titanium.

Both figures hoisted her up, making Julia's body ache in different places. "Your mind isn't completely _calm nor soothing_ for us to connect with your body and brain." The melodious voice came from the girl whose short-cropped hair is a mixture of copper and ardite. The curtain in which Julia thought she was wearing was not curtains at all! It is a silky cloth in the color of flowing river.

She stayed silent, not hanging into what the girl had said to her. ". . ."

"Your clairvoyance is very much prevailing but your mind. . ." The other girl said with sympathy in her voice, which pretty much ticked Julia. Her hair was as blue as cobalt, wearing what seems to be a peachy ballet outfit. "It's not what we had _projected_ from you."

"Do be misleaded, though." Julia's eyes started to clear and she realize that both girls share the same electric blue eyes. "We can pretty much _sing_ it to you in a dream. . ."

"But father had been growing restless, wanting to find our half-sister, Lady Athanasia, as quick and nippy as possible." The girl in the ballet costume said to her, continuing her company's words.

"So we had to come to you with this important message, in which the Oracle of Delphi told us you'd be needing guidance."

This is the time Julia preferred to spoke up. Her head pretty much had been messed up by something that caused this weird black realm she was in. "Sing? A message? Who are you-? Both of you?"

"I am Euterpe. Muse of Lyrical Poetry and the Giver of Delight." Said the girl with the ardite-but-coppery hair.

"I am Terpsichore. Muse of Ballet and the Dramatic Chorus." Said the girl with the cobalt blue hair.

Julia didn't make connections with Tia Callida and these muses and her stomach twisting and Nico calling her Uriah. "So?" She really hated Greek mythology and never asked for anything else but had her principal steer her away from the subject.

With a frown, Euterpe –as she calls herself- informed her with such seriousness in her harmonic voice. "We are here to tell you that the first key is on sandy lands. . . But beware of the _King_."

"Key? What key?" The daughter of Ares asked in pure confusion._ I did not signed up for this adventure to look for hidden keys!_ She thought angrily, _Heck, I don't even like Ravenhearst that much._ "I don't understand a single word you guys are saying. And with the formality, I just realized that both of you aren't to be disrespected." She said.

And I could careless about the black schist around me! Just bring me back, is what she didn't say.

"You have a clever streak, dear child, but have your fellow demigods not informed you yet?" Terpsichore asked her, the muse moved away from Julia – hand on her chin, thinking. Julia just noticed that Terpsichore had been on tiptoe the whole time!

The demigod rolled her eyes, _Ballet. Stupid dance._ Julia gulped down the words, careful to not offende the muses. "Nope. Not a single word about a key."

"Then, let us have the honor in giving you the _Prophecy of the Ender_." Terpsichore said, as if the Prophecy was something to be delighted about. Euterpe sang the prophecy, clear as crystal – but the meanings confused her.

"_Seven shall be envisioned to come_

_One is the Greco-Roman girl who has become_

_Three keys, three junctions,_

_Three banes, three benedictions_

_Follow the trail of the Immortal's abduction_

_The light and dark cause of her desolation_

_With Immortality's at stake, of winning_

_Or beginning of the ending_

_In War's shoulders – must make the final decisions_"

"Three keys. . ." Julia mumbled. Trying to think of a place, that if she was the kidnapper of this missing Princess, where she'd hide the key –safely.

"The first is on the _Sandy Lands_, The King with the Golden sword's new location. He has it, dear girl." Euterpe said in great warning, her eyes stared intensely with such worry in it.

"And. . You want me to get it?" Julia asked slowly. By then, Terpsichore told her with glowing creepy eyes another piece of poetry.

"_Vivid strife must be done._

_A talent you shall outrun,_

_In order to get the key_

_Beware, for this first is primary."_

"I'm getting really confused in your poetry. Summarize it please?"

Euterpe sighed, expecting the exact reaction. "The prophecies we have given you has been enough. Do digest the words and-"

"Wait, what do you mean by _vivid strife_?" The brunette had regained the strength to walk around, her hand on her chin, and she thought of the most literal meanings. "Vivid means bright. . . And strife means war or something like that. How can a war be vivid when bloodshed is- OH!" She smacked her right hand, formed into a fist, on her left palm in surprise. Closing her eyes, Julia focused in getting her answer right.

Terpsichore narrowed her eyes, "Do you understand what it meant?"

Eyes still closed, Julia's left hand changed into a pointing hand but she shook it as if it will ring and bind everything the muses told her. "Shit. So vivid - light, bright. . . It's like the _sun_! Strife – it means _war_! It's on me and Will, isn't it?"

Euterpe smiled and gave her a small but appreciative applause. "Clever. So clever!"

"Then, _a talent you shall outrun_. . . Wait a second." She looked at Euterpe, "So. . . You want me and Will to choreograph a sing-and-dance portion to entertain this creepy dude who might be a pedo?" The muses nodded at her, a little reproachful on Julia's choice of words. "Great. Just Great." The girl said in sarcasm by the sudden deciphering of her own prophecy

Euterpe patted her shoulder, "It is time to wake up now. Remember what you have to do."

"Wait- I still have so many questions!"

Terpsichore shook her head, her body is quicklyfading into the darkness. "The answer will be presented to you in the right time, and the answers shall be as shallow as the creeks. . . For now, focus in your destiny. Good bye, dear child."

"WAIT!" Julia reached for them but she had grabbed nothing.

* * *

"Hey! Wake up! Julia!" A shout registered in her brain.

She opened her eyes, "What-"

The daughter of Ares was cut short when Nico attacked her with a hug. "You scared us!" He breathed out shakily.

Julia gasped as she remembered the vision she had. "We have to go to a sandy land! The muses! They-"

Will nodded at her solemnly, "We know. . You had a premonition."

"And something I don't like." Jason frowned. "The King with the Golden Sword? Don't tell me it's Chrysaor again. ."

Leo gave out a groan that seemingly said to Julia that this guy, Chrysaor, is someone Leo and Jason had met.

"But there are so many deserts!" Piper said, panicking. "We can't go in each one and expect to find him quickly! The world is so big and vast."

Julia blinked. "What are the lines in the prophecy again?"

"YOU FORGOT IT SO QUICKLY?!" Leo exclaimed so loud, Julia wanted to punch him. She also noticed that he finally came back from the engine room.

"Hey! Not my fault my brain was being invaded by weird prophetic muses!" She said defensively.

Will spoke up, pointing down to the floor with an expression of amazement and shock. "You wrote it, Julia. Look down."

Nico frowned, "Where did the green sand came from?"

Julia knitted her brows, too, and then she finally looked down, her hair flowing along the movement. "In the sand? I don't understand!" What she saw is a floor infront of her that is full of green sand that looked like someone tried to do sand art but failed epically. _Shut up, brain. It was you who did that, idiot._ She said in her mind.

"It's written in Greek." Sammi replied.

"I'll get some paper and pencil, and hopefully – we can rewrite it as easy as we can listen to it." Jason said, dashing to the rooms to find the said materials.

"Did I really write that?" Julia asked in hesitation and doubt. She was talking to the muses a while ago and her body felt like wasted vegetables.

"You did, as the muses inside you talk." Will patted her back, his kind and warm eyes saying that _it's normal._

"You guys heard me?"

"With the green smoke and glowing eyes? It's hard not to notice." Leo nodded.

"Do it again, Yessa, you look stunning with those eyes!" Nico said in sarcasm, obviously trying to lighten up the mood. "Just let me get my camera and-"

"Don't you dare!" She said, making a face. Sammy and Piper laughed at their silly antics.

"So. . Does it ring a bell? The sandy lands?" Her cousin asked, clearly speaking for the rest of them.

"I've read something about the sandy lands. . . It's in Macedon, I think." Piper added, thinking. "What was it again. . . Uh. . E- Ema. . Ema. ."

"Emathia?" Julia heard a very familiar voice and realized that it was hers. The word came out of her mouth as easy as she say Nico's name.

"Yes! That place. . It's called sandy lands in the Hesiod but it isn't technically sandy. . . More like, swampy?"

"How did you know that Piper?" Will asked in mild amazement. "You're the kind of person who seems to be not into books?"

"Hey, I read, too!" Crossing her arms, Piper pouted but they knew that Will is just lightening the mood, knowing that things will have to go seriously in the next days.

"But- I thought you have dyslexia!" Julia exclaimed, confused in how they are acting. Clearly, she was clueless and oblivious about what's happening.

"My dad helped me. We researched about Greek mythology for his movie- Hhh!" Piper gasped, her hands flew quickly to cover her mouth.

"He's an actor?" The daughter of Ares questioned.

"Yeah. ." Leo said slowly, "Tell her, Pipes" Jason came in with a piece of paper but didn't speak as he turned to listen also.

"Mclean. . Which Hollywood actor's- Oh! The Tristan guy? In that- Pfft!" Julia stifled a laugh.

"Why?" The daughter of Aphrodite felt a bit offended in how Julia reacted.

"Duncan forced me to watch his movie, something about that Greek myths – I don't like the theme but his acting was hilariously good!" Julia said to Piper in pure admiration, in which the girl had accepted as a compliment to her father. "I can't believe it when the whole school population swarmed over him by the release of that movie and most of them had picked fights because of claiming_ 'he was theirs'_."

Piper shrugged. "He gets that a lot."

"Well, shall I ask for an autograph of him and let my classmates fight over it?" Julia asked, eyes sparkling.

"Can I come and get to watch?"

Julia nodded. "Your choice."

"This will be goo-o-od~" Piper said, smiling at Julia.

Nico sighed, shaking his head, "Priorities. ."

"Shut up, Nics. Me and Piper are gonna be best of friends!" The daughter of Ares said, beaming at her newfound friend. Sammi smiled at Piper's progress towards being close to Julia.

"I thought you hate me at first."

"I do. Sparky's fault." _-"Hey!"- _"Turned out you weren't as bad as I expected."

"First impression never last?"

"Yeah, first impressions never last."

**The boys literally were astonished in how Julia and Piper quickly reinforced their relationship from enemies to friends._ "Girls. . ."_**

* * *

**Chapter 9 : Off to Emathia (Julia)**

The others knew it was hard to go to Greece because it was a big mine, waiting to explode by the time they set foot to it. Leo tried to lighten up the mood, though, "Oh, so we're going to Ema's Tia" He said, wriggling his eyebrows comically.

Julia grunted in agitation. "Shut the hell up, Leo."


	11. 9: Off to Ema's Tia

**Short End of the Stick**  
**By PrincipessaBel**

**Chapter 9 : Off to Ema's Tia**

* * *

"Anyone hungry?" Jason asked, feeling a bit lightheaded from all the commotion with Julia's first premonition.

"I'm famished!" Julia answered a groan. "I thought no one's gonna ask that question!" The idea of dinner had made Julia's mind crazy full of food she'd like to eat.

Sammi nodded at them. "We could talk about the premonition over at dinner."

"Nah, let's just chill out for a moment." Will said, standing up with his hands on the back of his head.

"Wait- I'm just gonna change the course of our ride, since were clearly going back to Greece." Leo said gloomily.

Julia raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's it with Greece and you all think you'll die?"

Jason shrugged at her, "That Chimera in your house last time-?"

She grunted, "-Don't remind me, Sparky."

The son of Jupiter continued, disregarding the nick, "There's more of that where it came from, _Feo._" [T: Ugly girl]

"REALLY?!" With that, Julia's eyes widened and her eyes literally sparkled with excitement, also disregarding the nickname. Jason got a bad hunch that Julia's up to something.

Unsure, he nodded slowly, "Yeah-"

"Then, on to full speed, Leo!" She stomped towards her cousin, a pointing finger up in the air as if that's the direction they're going. "We're not wasting our precious fucking time!"

"She seriously wants that revenge for her house, huh?" Will whispered to Nico in a loud voice for the girl to hear.

"Hn. .?" Julia turned her head towards the two and Will quickly moved away from Nico, pretending he didn't say anything. Sammi and Nico snickered at Will's antic in the background.

"Oh, alright, Festus, full speed towards Macedon."

Her eyes wide, Julia moved away from Leo comically, one step at a time, "Is he-?" She whispered to Jason, with that common cliché gossip girl pose – a hand infront of her mouth, eyebrows up, judgemental eyes.

The guy moved away from her, clearly weirded out. Piper stifled a laugh from the reaction her boyfriend had.

_Creak. Creak._

It was heard from the whole ship, as if this 'Festus' fellow was part of the ship. Julia suddenly blurted out of ADHD, "What kind of sorcery is this?!"

Leo ignored her and answered the ship, "Hm? Yeah. Okay." The son of Hephaestus clapped his hands together and walked to where Julia and the rest are. "We'd be in Greece in two days since Nyssa had nicely upgraded the boosters! Man, I really have to thank her for this, you too, Julia." He said, clinging his arms on her shoulders, earning a punch on the stomach from the girl. "Ugh- S-She'd be thrilled to meet you, seeing that I'm her favorite." He said, regaining his stature after that one-hit blow from his cousin.

Julia rolled her eyes, "Man, I didn't know you're as cocky as I am." The gang laughed, and Nico mumbled, "You got that right."

Leo laughed whole-heartedly, "Runs in our blood, I guess?"

"Oh, shut up."

Will suddenly asked, "Hey, what would Clarisse think of her if we did come back to camp?"

"Oh, Clarisse would be totally pissed off." Piper nodded in sympathy towards Julia's future meet-up.

"Who's Clarisse? Is she some hot-shot demi like you guys?" She asked, the others looked away from her. Cackling evilly, she cracked her knuckled the way when she threatened to screw up Nico and said, "Psh, I'd take her down any day!"

Sammi shook her head. "She's your half-sister."

The girl's eyes nearly popped out of her head and screamed outrageously, "SAY WHAT?!"

"Your father's got a lot of kids, aside from his immortal kids with Aphrodite." Will said to her, as if it's a common thing to know you've got half-sisters in other parts of the world.

"Wait, you tell me that my father's married to Aphrodite-"

Leo knocked on her head, "Aphrodite's married to my father-"

Tilting her head to the side, she exclaimed. "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!"

"Oh my gods, your reaction! Yessa that's-" Nico was stopped from laughing when Julia pinched his cheeks hard.

"Shut up, Nics!" She ordered, then pointed at each and every one of them, "Explain, you peasants!"

"Demanding much?" Jason blurted out.

Sticking out her tongue, "Bleh." Julia said.

"You have to listen carefully, then Julia." Sammi said, remembering a nostalgic event in her life; namely something like this.

Will nodded at Sammi, then looked at Julia seriously. "Alright, imagine this. Jason's father, Zeus – or Jupiter, the king of the gods, is married to Hera, queen of the gods. Ther daughter, Athanasia is Leo's girlfriend-"

"Ooh~" Julia teased, her eyes boring into Leo. "You've got some taste, Leo~ Gave up your V-card for her?" She wriggled her eyebrows, but failed comically.

"What the Tartarus?! Says the one who's gave it up to Nico!"

"Hey, we did nothing by the likes of those, neh, baby~?" Julia said, batting her eyelashes at Nico. There was a howl of laughter in the Argo II.

Will stifled his own laughter, continuing his explanation. "—A-Anyway, Hephaestus, Leo's dad, is a son of Zeus and Hera. Aphrodite, Piper's mom, is one of the oldest gods, a rumored adopted-daughter of the king and queen of the gods. She and Leo's dad got married for some weird reasons-" Julia's mouth opened but before she could say something, Will stopped her. "-don't ask why. But since Hephaestus is known for his appearance- no offence Leo-"

"None taken, dude." Leo said.

"Aphrodite made her love affairs a bit too obvious for Hephaestus to know, and her favorite has been your dad, Ares."

Julia nodded slowly. "So, Piper's mom, is cheating on Leo's dad, with my dad?!"

"Got it right. And Jason's half-sister is Leo's girlfriend."

Julia sighed. "Your family is so screwed up."

Sammi laughed. "Our family is so screwed up."

"Tell me about it."

* * *

Digging into the salad she magically willed to appear infront of her, Julia said, "_Itadaikimasu~_" [T: Thanks for the food]

Sammi looked up, in recognition to Julia's words and smiled at her, "Itadaikimasu." The daughter of Poseidon said, too.

Leo blurted out, "What language is that?"

"Japanese, it is! _Pasalamat ka-"_Julia caught her words, changing from English to Tagalog. "I mean, be thankful I didn't went Italian on you guys!"

Nico started laughing his ass out from remembering Julia's awful attempt on Italian. "HAHAHA, oh my gods, you totally sucked on that, Yessa, don't even try!"

"Stai zitto, Nico!" The girl glared at him, hurting his sensitive ears from the awful Italian accent of his friend. "Sono Julia Valdez, decimo capo di Vongola." She finished. [T: Shut up, Nico! I am Julia Valdez, Vongola's Tenth Boss!(guess what anime. ;))]

Jason said, "What the heck's with that accent?"

"It's nowhere near Italian!" Will said, clutching his stomach.

Leo stopped eating, saying, "Who cares?! HAHAHA!"

Sammi pretended to act gloomy and saddened by Julia's words and shook her head. "What has been heard; cannot be unheard."

Julia acted to be offended from all the laughs she's getting. "Hey, I went some serious shit through Google Translate on that!"

Piper asked, "How many languages are you fluent in?"

"Tagalog, English, Japanese, Mandarin and Spanish." She said with a straight face, letting the whole gang know that she's not joking this time. "And I've noticed I kinda understand a tinge of Greek, too." The others literally jaw-dropped from the revelation.

Nico shrugged. "That's multi-lingual Julia Valdez for you!"

"Wow. How have you been able to learn all that in the span of fifteen years?" Sammi inquired, curious.

"I learned Spanish and English first, and then when we came to the Philippines, I had to understand Tagalog. When you're fluent in two to three languages, learning a fourth and fifth is easy as one-two-three."

Leo nodded, then asked, "Where does the blunt language came from then?"

"Oh, you shit's talking about this bullcrap?" Julia asked, raising an eyebrow towards her cousin. Another set of laughter can be heard from the dining room as they eat and laugh and joke around while they have the time.

"You'd be nicely accepted in the Camp at that attitude!"

"Enough about me, you guys had been seriously welcoming these past few hours, what happened to that?"

Jason shrugged nonchalantly. "You proved to be nicer than you are, that's all. Aside from the screaming about us losers." Piper laughed at this.

"Whoops?" Julia said slowly, acting innocently.

Nico patted her back, "Told 'ya they'll hear it."

"Anyway, has anyone of you gone to Macedon already?"

Sammi said, "None, I'm not even sure if Emathia is still in the modern map."

The others knew it was hard to go to Greece because it was a big mine, waiting to explode by the time they set foot to it. Leo tried to lighten up the mood, though, "Oh, so we're going to Ema's Tia" He said, wriggling his eyebrows comically.

Julia grunted in agitation. "Shut the hell up, Leo."

Piper nodded, sympathetic for her friend. "How corny, that is."

"Don't remind me of the food or word called 'corn'." Nico grunted, face-palming.

"Why?"

"A tragic incident I shouldn't mention."

Julia smirked, leaning towards Nico. "Corn? Corn. Corn. Corn. Corn. Corn. Corn. Corn. Corn. Corn. Corn. Corn. Corn." She said repeatedly.

"SHUT UP, YESSA!"

"HAHAHAHAHA, cutie~" She said, pinching Nico's cheek again, then noticed that everyone's looking at her. "Ehem, I mean, this is serious."

"Says the girl who's been making us laugh for nearly a whole hour already." Will jeered.

"What? No time to be serious as fuck, we might die over this Golden king's sword or something."

"Well, since you and me's gonna lead this operation, what's our plan, ma'am?" The son of Apollo said, saluting at Julia.

"Let's play Just Dance 4! I saw Leo's Xbox on the living quarters~" Julia said, clapping her hands together, eyes sparkling.

Leo groaned, "We are not going to stay idle here!"

"I train every single day, how 'bout I get to relax as an incentive? Pu-weaaase~"

Sammi thought for a moment then said, "Seeing that the muse of dance and music came to you, perhaps it will be alright?"

Piper suddenly became inquisitive and asked, "But, _a talent you shall outrun_, are you sure it meant that it's focused about music and dance?"

"I brought my flute and violin for this! AHAHA, told 'ya they'll be proving their existence in this trip, Nics!"

Nico said defensively, "You didn't tell me anything."

"So, you sing?" Jason asked the daughter of Ares as she drank from her orange juice.

"I'm alright, I guess."

"Knowing Tia Fe? Psh, don't push your luck. . . OF COURSE SHE'S GOOD! Haven't you heard of her?" Leo said, as if they have to know her whether they live on rocks or not.

"Fe?" Piper asked, a bit familiar with the name.

"Fe Valdez!"

The daughter of Aphrodite snapped her fingers, "Oh, of course! She's an international singer and a good musician! One of the best there is!"

"No wonder Julia's stinking rich!"

"Hey! We lived in a rundown apartment, how can mom be an international singer?"

The son of Hephaestus shook his head, "You seriously had been lied at the whole time!"

"Oh tell me about it!"

"Tia had lots of reasons for that. Mom did, too. She always tell me 'You'll meet you father sometime.' I didn't realize she meant that as having my father as an Olympian god." Leo said it in a way that made Julia feel happy about the situation. Despite the serious hatred and annoyance she have for her cousin, he'd still be nice.

"We seriously have many things in common and I do not know whether I'd be happy or disgusted about it." She said, making a face.

"**Oh tell me about it." He said, mimicking Julia's past statement.**

* * *

**Chapter 10 : Stave One**

"**WHOA! Sammi, that ugly shit's you're half-brother?" Julia half-whispered, half-exclaimed as they hid behind the big rocks of the swampy cave.**

"**Percy's going to be pissed at you." Sammi shook her head, laughing a bit, remembering the time she and Percy had a long talk.**

* * *

Wanna see what Julia looks like when she gave the Prophecy? Check out my DA account! Link is on my profile. ;)

Thanks to those who support this story~ Lovelots, PB


	12. 10: Stave One

**Short End of the Stick**  
**By PrincipessaBel**

**Chapter 10 : Stave One**

=============================Sammi===============================

Two and a half days passed and the seven demigods inside the Argo II had finally reached their destination. Sammi noticed difference from Julia's behavior and is very thankful for it. _Maybe being close to each other may have their teamwork more efficient and effective_, she thought. Staring at the glass panes, Greece is directly below them.

Will and Leo were near the wheel, talking about aerodynamics and stuff. Piper and Jason were still in their own rooms, preparing for the day. As for Nico and Julia, the daughter of Poseidon didn't know.

"HEEEEEY~ How do I loook~?" Julia barged in the main control room and the Argo II's living quarters. Sammi looked up and saw the daughter of Ares come in with a very uncharacteristic fashion.

Her hair is combed and perfectly fixed. She wears a white blouse, decorated by a black and red polka necktie, and a pleated red skirt that goes eight inches above her knees. Tall onyx black boots protected her feet and calves; a hook for her socks and underclothes goes up from her feet to her legs. Julia wore that painful sweet smile up on her face.

"Is there something special today, Julia?" The daughter of Poseidon asked, genuinely curious.

"Oh nothing~ I'm just getting ready to kick some monster ass~!" She replied, her facial expression back to the intimidating Julia she really is. "Hey, Will! I told you to wear something special!"

With that, the son of Apollo's head whipped to their direction. "Wha-" His eyes widened from the sudden transformation. Stammering from amazement, he said, "J-Julia! What's that monstrosity?"

"We're fighting monster today, right?" She asked in an innocent voice. _No, we're fighting mortals_, Sammi wanted to say but sarcasm isn't something a proper lady would tolerate.

"Uh. . . If possible? No, we're not." Leo said, looking up from the glass pane around them

The sparkle from Julia's eyes was removed at once as she exclaimed, "WHAT?"

Sammi cringe from the volume but didn't say a word about it nonetheless.

"You guys are going to distract Chrysaor then me and the rest are gonna find that key, quick. We go away once we grab the key, no bloodshed for now." Her cousin explained briefly.

"BUT LEO! This is our chance! To avenge my house!"

The daughter of Poseidon was fond of Julia's exquisite personality, but going so far pitched just to avenge her burnt house is something she had to go against. "Uhm. . . Leo's right, we don't need to fight in order to get the key."

"Sammi?! EVEN YOU?" Julia sat weakly on the couch, groaning in agony. "Urrgghhh. . . And I got totally over excited about this. Damn."

Will laughed at her, "I'll change, then, if you're really into this."

"Really?" Julia suddenly came back from the deadlands and with the sparkles back on her eyes, "Look, Leo! Will's on my side! We're gonna destroy that cave even though you don't want to!"

Sammi could literally saw Leo sweatdrop because of the outrageous courage Julia is giving off. "U-uh. . ." The girl wants to warn the brunette but scaring her is not in the option, not this current time where her power of determination is burning hard.

"Aside from preparing for a fight, why exactly did you wear that. . . that type of. . clothes?"

"You want me to entertain this shit, right?" The daughter of Ares sneered, back to her first-impression personality. "Would you like me to entertain you with this aura and face?"

Leo shrugged in defeat. "Not exactly. ."

"There's your answer." Julia said, kicking back as she laid down the couch, her boots on the paddings. "Plus, I've never acted so lively 'til now! Let me be~"

The son of Hephaestus nodded slightly, "I guess it's better than your typical grumpy self." Sammi giggled a bit, exactly thinking about the same thing.

She shot up so quick, a glare fixated on her cousin. "What did you say?"

"Nothing! Nothing!" Leo tried his best to stifle a laugh as he continued to work in the controls.

Will laughed and Sammi did, too. The son of Apollo shook his head, "HAHAHA, you guys." He walked towards Julia and patted her head like a kid. "Alright, then, _Sunshine,_ I'll be back!"

"Hey, Will, something with red will do. Or gold-ish of color?" Julia requested, smiling happily.

"Sure." With a thumbs up, Will exited the room.

Sammi decided to tease Julia, since the girl had been really close to her in the past two days. "She is really into this entertaining Chrysaor, isn't she, Leo?"

Julia glared at her, "I heard that, Sammi!"

"Whoops?"

"Oh- Sammi?" Julia said with a question mark. "You're fighting with that dress of yours?" Pointing at the violet dress, laced with frills of white embroidered cloth.

Leo snorted and retorted, "Says the one who's wearing pleated skirt."

"Shut up, Leo, or you'll be dead meat even before we go down." Sammi giggled at Julia's reaction.

"I'm used to wearing dresses like these." Sammi explained to the daughter of Ares. "Proper ladies nowadays seemingly aren't into wearing elegant and simple fashioned clothes. They now wear skimpy clothing and really short skirts."

Fuming Julia stood up and walked towards Sammi menacingly. "YOU PICKIN' A FIGHT, WOMAN?!"

Sammi sweatdropped, realizing that her example was exactly what Julia is currently wearing. "W-Wha- I-I didn't mean you, Julia." Scratching the back of her neck, the daughter of Poseidon looked away from Julia sheepishly. "Well, maybe a bit- Kidding! I was just joking with you."

"Hn. ." Julia shrugged, "I can't really describe myself as proper."

Leo snicker in the background and mumbled, "Got that right, couz."

"Shut uuuuup, Leo. I'll really tear off your head this time!"

The son of Hephaestus looked at her with an eyebrow up, "That wasn't your first threat."

Sammi noticed Nico came in the room wearing a simple black shirt under his usual aviator jacket for his top, and blue jeans. Nico was holding a glass of milk in his hands and he immediately smirked at the sight of Julia. However, the girl didn't notice as the son of Hades walked up to her as she was to reply in Leo's statement. "I wasn't-"

"Hey, Sexy. . ." He said in a suggestive voice and slapped Julia's bottom.

Sammi, being not used to the liberty these teens have at their time, had goosebumps in Nico's tone of voice. She once had a talk with Percy that Nico's the kind of person who would isolate himself to others, rather than walking around, slapping people's butts. (_PB: Oh gods, this is hilariously funny to write._)

Jerking away, Julia glared daggers at the culprit, rubbing her butt protectively. "HEY!" She shouted, flustered in what Nico just did.

"What happened to your black veil of darkness and cruelty? Changed it for red and white now, eh?" Taking a sip in his milk glass, Julia pondered for a bit in what he meant by his statement.

"Black veil of—YOU GUYS REALLY ARE PICKING A FIGHT WITH ME, HUH?!" She crossed her arms infront of her chest, still glaring daggers at Nico. Sammi swore that if Julia's glare were real daggers, Nico would be dead by now.

"Oh gods, how uptight." Nico shook his head, walking towards Leo, then he stopped abruptly. Looking back at Julia, ". . . like your blouse." he added with a playful wink.

Sammi frowned at the flirtness level of the two childhood friends and asked Leo, "Is it legal to flirt infront of everyone, in this timespan, Leo?"

Not knowing her volume of voice, Julia heard it and blushed madly. "I heard that Sammi!"

Leo answered, "I don't know, but with those two? There's probably no such word as 'legal' or 'shame'"

Julia grunted, "Why does this new change of wardrobe became a serious issue to you guys? Never seen a girl in this outfit before?"

Nico shrugged, "Never seen a Julia Valdez in that outfit before."

With that, Julia attacked Nico, having them both fall down the floor in process. This time, it's Nico's turn to be flustered, knowing that Julia's sitting on top of his stomach and glaring at him. "You big meanie!" A few seconds pass, instead of leaving him alone, Julia started to slap, punch and pull his hair.

Leo laughed at Nico's discomfort and misfortune. Sammi blushed, too, not used to the treatment these two are giving each other.

"Argh! Shit you, Yessa, we're gonna have a lot of fights today and you're already immobilizing me?!" Nico screamed as Julia continued to lash him with punches and slaps.

Both the daughter of Poseidon and the son of Hephaestus had to hoist up Julia as she had stopped hitting the son of Hades, "Serves you right."

=============================Julia===============================

"How deep is the mud, Leo?" Julia asked, eyes sparkled as she was fueled with curiosity and cunning.

Leo frowned and looked down at the mud. They went down from the Argo II in a mountainous area in order to be not seen by civilians or monsters. A hike down took them half an hour and once they have arrived to the bottom of the mountain, there lies a moat of swampy mud all over the place. "I don't know, try dipping your boots or violin into it so we would know- Ow! Hey!"

Piper patted both their shoulders, "Shh. . Guys, we're not on a field trip here, remember?" With Piper's charmspeak, most of them nodded and agreed, expect for Julia – who seems to be unaffected by the girl's words.

Sammi tapped Leo's shoulder, "Here, I've found a stick."

The son of Hephaestus clapped his hands together, "Genius, Sammi!" Getting the stick from the daughter of Poseidon, Leo dipped the stick into the brown mushy mud and when he pulled it out, it wasn't even half way through the one feet long twig. "Whoa! It isn't too deep at all!"

Julia smirked, and idea popped up in her head suddenly. "Do the honors then, Leo." _And I shall do what I must._

"What? Why me?" He said defensively.

Raising an eyebrow, Julia came up with the most reasonable and logical retort. "It's for your girlfriend, duh."

"Oh." Leo suddenly didn't seem too happy then realized that everyone was giving him a look. "O-oh! Alright, here goes- wha!" Leo nearly dived into the mud pools as someone from behind shoved him. Thankfully the shove wasn't too forceful of he'd be in a heap of dirt.

A stifle of laughter from Julia made everyone's heads whip towards her and everyone scolded her. "Julia!"

"What? It's funny." She snickered involuntarily, clutching her stomach. _Oh gods, this is so hilarious. _

"Uughh. . . " Leo groaned, rubbing his temples.

A moment later, Julia ushered Leo to walk already, another idea popping in her head, "Go on. I promise, no pushing this time." She said, a tone of honesty evident.

Leo glared at her, "Try or I'll burn your new clothes. ."

"Pervertido." [T: Pervert.]

"¡Cállate!" [T: Shut up!]

"¡Ni hablar!" [T: No way!]

Will fake-coughed and said, "We don't understand Spanish, so. . try using English? Greek might be alright, too."

"Sorry." Leo shrugged, not really in control with the sudden change of language with Julia. He walked into the mud; his feet and ankles sink into the watery dirt.

"Oh, and as you're there Leo, try checking out if it's a quicksand."

A jolt of panic hit Leo when the girl mentioned a 'quicksand'. "Mierda, Julia! You told me that after I've stepped in already?!"

Julia huffed out a puff of air. "I just realized that, you jerk, don't swear at me or I'll push you real hard."

Nico groaned from behind, "Just stop blabbering and walk, you two."

Jason, with Piper on the tow, whooshed past them as the son of Jupiter seemed to be carried by the wind effortlessly. "Me and Pipes are gonna float around. . so, you guys better catch up."

"What the fuu-?! No, fair, that's cheating!"

"Hey, we've been bestowed the powers of our godly parents, why not make use of it since it's them who's gonna benefit from this?"

"Sorrryy!" Piper said to them as the couple flew over the muddy pools.

Julia blinked in realization, "Oh yeah. . . Anyone who can fly aside from Sparky?"

Will answered her with a sigh. "No one."

"Wait, Leo, you shouldn't have walked in the mud so quick." Julia tried hard once again to stifle a laugh.

Leo's brows knitted in irritation, why have he become a guinea pig exactly? "Why Sammi?"

"Seems like the mud here is more of water than of dirt."

"Specifically speaking?"

"I can remove the water easily so all it will not be muddy anymore."

Groaning, Leo pitied himself for having the first to walk in the mud. "Misfortune never comes easily."

"Got that right, couz. Waterbend, Sammi! And thy shall watch thou performance*!" Julia said gloriously, in to not having her boots all messed up.

Sammi shook her head, "E-Eh. . . You've got it wrong, Julia. Not because thy sounds like I, or thou sounds like you; you can already change it as substitute."

Nico took a peek of his watch and frowned. Julia raised an eyebrow on this and said to her, "I'd like to shadow travel but I think it will be much better to use, in case we got hitched up by our enemies."

"Don't jinx us, Nico. I would rather live 'til tomorrow's sunlight!" Will said.

"Why- Shadow travel, Nics! Come on~ Let's get to the other side of this swamp first." Julia said, holding tight in Nico's arm.

Leo stared at his cousin incredulously. "You think this is a competition?"

Julia thought about it for a bit then answered. "If Sparky's not included, then no."

Nico shook his head and smiled, "Alright, just this once."

"Yes! See 'ya Valdez~" Julia winked at her cousin, getting ready for the darkness and the weird howls. Nico said it might be scary but Julia had loved it instantly – she didn't know why, though.

"Hey! Cheating!"

"Nico's got the power to travel quickly, so we're using it to find these keys that will lead to your girlfriend~ Be happy I'm eager to help~"

"I don't know whether I'd be happy or not."

Sammi nodded at Nico and Julia goodbye, "It's alright; we shall see you on the other side." The daughter of Poseidon started removing the water from the mud, leaving it as dry as sandpaper, having it a good place for walking. "Alright you two, make sure to not push me, else we'd be all covered in mud."

=============================Sammi===============================

"All that walking made my feet hurt." Julia complained for the fourth time since they've been inside the cave of Chrysaor.

"Say the girl who chose boots to wear in her first mission." Leo said.

"Says the boy who'll get beaten up if he doesn't know how to shut up." Julia retorted.

Piper, being the most concerned one, scolded the two once again, "Guys, be quiet. We don't know this territory-"

"I know." Will said casually. _A premonition,_ Sammi immediately thought.

"Will?!"

"Yeah, father -I think- gave me a peek of what's in the inside of this cave. Chrysaor's throne is just. . . to our left."

Julia smiled brightly, the thought of not being lost filled her with a sudden jolt of energy. "Follow the leader then!"

Jason frowned at Julia's volume of voice. "Be more alert and stop talking to each other if you're just gonna insult-"

"WHOA! Sammi, that ugly shit's you're half-brother?" Julia half-whispered, half-exclaimed as they hid behind the big rocks of the swampy cave.

"Percy's going to be pissed at you." Sammi shook her head, laughing a bit, remembering the time she and Percy had a long talk.

Jason grunted, "Urghh. . You'll never gonna listen, are you?"

Julia ignored Jason and asked the daughter of Poseidon, "Who's Percy? Nice name, by the way." She smiled, eyes hovering over at Nico – whom avoided her gaze.

"Her/My half-brother." Sammi and the rest say in unison.

"Okay, let's do this. Will!" Julia said encouragingly, "We shall perform the act that will embarrass me for my life. . . because terrible nightmare threatened me to take this seriously, I'll swallow up my pride."

The son of Hephaestus raised his eyebrows, "For real?"

"No, I'm just talking gibberish. I've played acts and recitals before, it's not embarrassing now." Julia waved it off before anyone can ask about her recitals and acts.

Nico helped by nodding and by saying, "Oh, yeah."

"Good luck guys, we'll need this." Piper said, getting ready to split up with Julia and Will.

Jason shook his head, "No, may the gods bless us."

Julia suddenly remembered something and smirked, "I think I like, '_May the gods be ever in your favor_'; so much better than those two." The others started looking at her as if a mushroom popped up from her head, "What? Don't tell me you guys haven't watched _the Hunger Games_ yet?"

"What's that? A game you invented by your sadistic mind?"

"For real? Seriosuly? You guys are far worse- Well, maybe just a tinge worse than this guy here who lives in a wretched cave! I mean, who haven't watched it? Mockingjay part one's going to be out this November, though. I think I'd have to treat you guys for a movie trip after this is done.**" Julia ranted.

Leo rolled his eyes, not interested. "Let's just get this over with so you can stop talking about these movies you love."

"Hey, I've got my time all to myself, being bored is something I'm not used to since I can do what I want."

Nico hugged Julia tight as if there's no tomorrow and the rest were smiling at each other, saying, "May the gods be ever in our favor."

Julia smiled genuinely, seeing that her suggestion wasn't at vain. "May the gods be ever in our favor. I think this is gonna be a hit in our group."

"What do you mean?"

"I've invented our motto, you idiot! Geez, how slow can you be?" Julia replied, suddenly irritated. "See 'ya later, then, shitlords~ Come on, Will! Let's do this, for real! On to Stave One!"

With that, Leo's and the rest went away to find the key, with Julia's instructions in where they'll see the key, thanks to a slight premonition. Sammi looked behind her as she followed the rest, she saw Julia looking back, too, and waved sadly. The daughter of Poseidon waved back, mouthing the words, "_It'll be alright."_

_I hope it will._

* * *

**Chapter 11 : To the left! To the Right!**

Will tried to stop her from talking but Julia still continued, "Sir, I am politely refusing your offer because I do not want to have a husband as ugly as you and I am already bearing with the fact that I am the smallest person in this room. Plus, you reek, try to take a bath once in a while, neh?"

Chrysaor stared at her incredulously, mind-blown by the fact that Julia kept a straight-face while insulting the said king.

* * *

A/N: Hey guuuys~ Me ish back for an update and since we're at the tenth chapter, I made it super special by writing 3,100+ words!

Yeah, a bit too long for me.. /I hope I didn't leave a cliffy?

Apollo must be so proud of me.

-Wanna see what Julia is like? Check out my D.A. account[link in my account], hopefully, I've updated it as of today - that is, if I'm not that lazy to update.

**I am not advertising The Hunger Games here, I just simply love the books and movies, thank you.

A review is much appreciated, and thank you for the endless support guys~ Bye biii~

As always, lovelots, PB ;D


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